A New Lease on Life
by OrionSmithArchive
Summary: Naruto Uzumaki died. Normally, that'd be where the story ends. But this is Naruto Uzumaki! When has he ever let something as circumstantial as death get in his way? Back into the past, though not technically his own past, he must contend with forces beyond his comprehension while preparing himself for the war that is to come. Harem. femSasuke, femKyubi, femHaku.
1. Where am I?

**I don't own Naruto. That is definitely a good thing for anime fans everywhere.**

**Chapter 1: Where… Where Am I?**

Eternity.

He never gave the concept much thought. Why think about eternity when the present has more pressing concerns? He's never been one for religion either. Faith, to him, was reserved for the love, trust and camaraderie between himself and his friends, not for any higher being. Of course, that was until he died. Oh well. Better late than never.

"_Is this what the rest of the afterlife gonna be like? Why does the sky look like Ero-Sennin after Tsunade-baa-chan caught him peeping?"_

So who is the dead man walking that decided to pull his soul out of his corpse and left him in this soulless plane?

"**That would be me."**

Ah. Ask and you shall receive apparently. Boy, did he have some shit to say. What sort of asshole tears someone's soul away from their still-warm body parts? Wasn't there some sort of process for this crap?

"**Normally, yes, but you're Fate's Golden Boy, so I decided to speed up the process instead of waiting for you to linger on earth."**

Shit. She could hear his thoughts. Wait… _she_?

"**Yes. **_**She.**_** Do you have something against female deities?"**

"No?"

"**Are you answering my question with another question?"**

"... no?"

Exasperated sigh. **"Just turn around."**

Okay. Big reveal moment. No pressure. He's just about to meet a deity. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and turned around. What, or rather _who_, he saw left his heart frozen in fear.

Before him, dressed in a lavender kimono accented with white trim was a beautiful woman. Pale, alabaster skin complimented by cherry red lips and luscious white hair. Pupiless lavender eyes stared at him with intent, as if peering into the very depths of his soul. Knowing that she was the one who tore out his soul, that might not be too far from the truth. Two horns of jagged grey bone adorned her head.

"Kaguya!" Without further adieu, his body tensed and lowered its center of gravity. His hands automatically moved to the signature cross hand sign of the **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu.** However, when he tried to mold his chakra, nothing happened. Silence followed his failed attempt to spawn clones.

A pleasant sound reminiscent of tinkling chimes broke the silence.

Did… did she just _giggle_?

"This has to be a dream. A really, really fucked up dream."

"**You are not dreaming and I am not Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, Naruto," **the clearly not-human woman replied. **"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kagura. Besides, I do not have her Rinne Sharingan." **She further proved her point by pointing at her forehead, which lacked both the **Rinne Sharingan** and the crescent moon that represented the closed third eye.

Naruto gave a confused blink before violently shaking his head. "Bullshit! This has to be a genjutsu-ttebayo!"

"'_**Ttebayo?' Ara ara. That verbal tic really is cute."**_

"And what did you do to me? Why can't I access my chakra?" Silence followed. "Oh right. Because… I'm dead." Cue obligatory embarrassed head scratch.

She couldn't keep the smile off her face. **"Exactly."**

However, her response appeared to have fallen on deaf ears. Somehow, he'd appeared further away from her in the split second it took her to blink. Now crouched down and drawing circles on the gray surface of the plane, Naruto was despondent.

"_**How… how did he make that cloud appear over his head? And why is it raining on him?" **_

Despite the distance between them, she could still hear the quiet mutterings of "I never got to be Hokage," repeated like a mantra over and over again. If it wasn't for the strange cloud that was pelting the young man with rain, she would have consoled him with a hug. Much like how quickly the blond was depressed, he was back on his feet before she could do much more than contemplate the formation of the strange cloud and why his clothes weren't soaked.

"Oh well. So why did you bring me here, Kagura-chan?"

Raising an eyebrow at the sudden change in demeanor and the intimate suffix appended onto her name, she questioned his sudden cheeriness. **"Do you not have any regrets over what has become of your life, Naruto-san?"**

"Of course I do," the boisterous blond loudly proclaimed, pointing his index finger at her. "I'll never get to become Hokage. I'll never get to talk to Hinata-chan again! I never got to beat the shit out of Sasuke-teme!" As if the energy was suddenly drained out of him, his head and shoulders drooped. "But… I'm already dead. Crying about it would just be a waste of tears-ttebayo." Suddenly, he looked back up at her, his eyes alight with an inner strength that made her gasp in surprise. "Even though I died before I could accomplish a lot of things, I don't regret the fact that I died."

"_**What?" **_Curious, she probed him for answers,__**"And why is that, Naruto-san?"**

Naruto gave her a close eyed smile and a cheesy thumbs up, and, for a split-second, she swore she could see a brilliant gleam on his teeth along with a loud _gleam!_ "Because I died protecting my precious people!"

Stunned by the display and the distant shout of "YOUTH!" that she swore she heard, she gave the only response she was mentally capable of: **"Huh?"**

Naruto smiled at her, relaxing from the strange pose, his face shockingly relaxed and content for someone who had died with so much he has yet to accomplish. "I died so the people I love could live. I couldn't ask for a better way to go."

Gobsmacked, she could only stare wide-eyed at the smiling blond. _**"Perhaps this will be easier than I thought it would be." **_

Smiling amicably at her blond vict- I mean, Chosen One - she broached the topic that has brought them together. **"Would you like to be able to save everyone?"**

Naruto didn't even have to think about his reply. "Of course!" The bravado and confidence soon gave way to meek acceptance. "Even though I know that it would be impossible, I will do everything I can to save everyone I can."

"**Would you be able to kill to protect those you love?"**

For once, Naruto hesitated in his answer. Would he be able to take someone's life in order to protect everyone he knew? But if he did, wouldn't it just perpetuate the endless cycle of hatred that has been plaguing the Elemental Nations since time immemorial?

"Yes." The answer was so quiet, that Kagura thought she had imagined it. "If I have to kill in order to protect people I hold dear, then so be it."

Regardless of how he felt about killing, he was more than willing to put them aside for the safety of those precious to him. She had known this, of course, but to hear the honesty and _feel_ the faith and devotion in his words to those he loves... well, it was difficult for her to keep the enigmatic visage of a Highborn.

Walking up to him, she smiled and cupped his cheek, noticing but ignoring the instinctive flinch. **"You idiotic, idealistic boy."**

Rather than be offended, Naruto gave her his usual foxy smile. "I'll take being an idiot who sticks to my ideals and morals over a hypocritical genius."

She gave another soft giggle. **"You really do have a one-track mind. But with your dedication to those you love and your heart of gold, perhaps there is still a chance for you to save everyone."**

"What?"

The hope and desperation in his voice made her immortal heart clench uncomfortably. _**"No wonder Miko-chan loves watching over her little champion. Let's hope she doesn't hate me for the next couple millennium for what I'm going to do," **_she thought. **"Tell me, Naruto Uzumaki, what you would do if you had the chance to save everyone you loved?"**

"I would save them!" The cheery bravado was immediately dropped. "But… it's too late now. My life is over, Kagura-chan. I-"

"**But what if it's not?"**

As soon as the words registered, he stopped and stared at her. "What do you mean? My life is over, end of the road. Time to go to the pure lands or wherever it is I'm supposed to go." Despite how clear his words were, the blush on his cheeks from their proximity was quite telling of his innocence.

"**But what if I gave you the chance to do it all over again? To give your life another try? What would you do?" **Her words came out in a quiet, taunting whisper.

Gulping nervously at their proximity, Naruto responded, "T-Then I would do everything I can to change the outcome."

She gave him a lopsided smirk. For the first time in his short life and even shorter unlife, Naruto finally understood what it felt like to be eyed like a piece of meat. **"Then you'd better make the best of your new life, Naruto Uzumaki."** Giving him no time to ponder her words, the goddess pulled him into a kiss.

Whatever thoughts or questions that happened to be going through Naruto's mind at the moment crashed and burned.

She was kissing him.

She was kissing him!

_SHE WAS KISSING HIM!_

His teenage hormonal spike was curbed by his training as he felt a foreign energy enter his system through the woman's kiss. Before he got the chance to analyze the invasive power signature - read: savour the feeling of her lips - she pulled away, smiling at him.

"**A little gift for my champion."**

"_Champion? Me?"_

Any further questioning would have to wait, however, as his world twisted and blurred.

"K-Kagura-chan…"

Falling onto his back with a resounding _thud!_, the teen stared helplessly at Kagura, who knelt beside him and softly placed his head in her lap.

"**Shh. It's alright, Naruto. It's alright. Don't fight it. Just accept it." **

Although her words resembled the demented ramblings of a murderous black widow, he could feel no malice nor intent from her words, only comfort and support. Taking her advice to heart, he relaxed and closed his eyes, focusing on the deity's touch as she gently raked her hand through his hair. The sense of vertigo and emptiness slowly faded away as he fell asleep to the goddess's gentle caress and quiet hums. As soon as he fell asleep, his body began dissipating into flecks of light, floating into the ever shifting sky of the realm.

Sitting beneath the dimming lights, Kagura smiled longingly as her champion faded away. Tracing her lips with her fingertips, she blushed as she recalled the 'kiss.' She knew it was supposed to be a way to bestow her gift upon her champion, but she couldn't get the feeling of his lips against hers out of her mind.

"_**My first kiss…"**_

As if the multiverse was dead set against her, she felt a spike of Killing Intent (KI) burning a hole in the back of her head. Freezing in place, back rigid in fear, she felt her heart sink as she heard the familiar voice of her elder sister.

"**Kagura-chan."**

Although the greeting was sweet and innocent, an eternity of interactions and memories told her everything that was wrong with what she heard. Of course, one doesn't need an eternity's worth of interactions to know that KI isn't supposed to be used with sweet tonal inflections.

"**M-Miko-nee-chan."** Turning her head robotically, she gulped as she stared at her older sister. **"W-What a surprise! I didn't expect to see you here."**

Red eyes glared at her with malicious intent. If she wasn't immortal, she would have feared for her very existence. Her elder sister, Miko, was practically her twin in terms of appearance, save for the crimson orbs of death that were currently doing their best to stare into her very soul.

"**Care to tell me… why you were kissing **_**my**_** champion?"**

She could bullshit her way out of this one, right? Right? It was an accident?

…

Oh, who was she kidding? Who the fuck would fall for that?

"**Uh… b-because he's… my champion too?"** Almost immediately, she regretted her decision to speak the truth. Her sister's hair began levitating, shifting and writhing like the tails of some great predator birthed before the rise of man. Gulping in fear, she backed away from the angry goddess.

"**N-Now now, big sis. L-Let's not be hasty. I-I can explain!"**

"**Explain later. Punishment now."**

Kagura only had the time to squeak out in fear before her sister's hair wrapped themselves around the soon-to-be torture victim. Kagura knew she was screwed, but she couldn't keep the feeling of satisfaction from welling up inside her chest.

"_**At least I got to kiss him first."**_

Miko froze mid-stride. At that moment, Kagura knew that she fucked up.

"**Cheek pinches… are going to be the least of your worries."**

"**Nee-chan! Please! I didn't mean it!"**

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Naruto was no stranger to pain. After all, he did defeat an asshole who actually went by that name. He also took a full-powered **Chidori** straight through the chest so that was another point of familiarity for him. So when he woke up to the dull, but constant throb of his entire body with every heartbeat, he thought nothing was particularly out of the ordinary. Groaning and sitting up in bed, he held his head as he tried to get his bearings.

"_Ugh. What happened? Did Gamakichi drop another sake barrel on me?"_

A quiet giggle echoed through his mind. _**"No, not quite."**_

That voice! _"Kagura-chan?"_

"_**Got it in one, Naruto-kun." **_If her sister was going to punish her for doing things with her champion, she was going to milk it for all it's worth. Consequences be damned.

"_What happened? How are you talking to me?"_

"_**A side effect of becoming my champion. We can speak with each other any time we wish. If you want, you could even come visit me in your mindscape. But before that happens, why don't you take a look around?"**_

Take a look around? Curious, he complied. Doing his best to push aside the dull throbbing that he felt across his entire body, he opened his eyes and took in his new surroundings. A bed. A bedside drawer. Ramen posters along the walls.

"_This- this is my apartment! B-But how? It was destroyed during Pain's Invasion!" _Knowing that something was wrong, he stared out his bedroom window at the Hokage Monument. _"Hashirama-jiji… Tobirama-jiji… Sandaime-jiji… Tou-chan… But… where's Tsunade-baa-chan? Where am I? This can't be Konoha!"_

"_**Perhaps you would understand this better if you took a look at yourself in the mirror," **_she suggested.

Doing just that, he threw off the covers and hopped out of bed. For some reason, the world was a lot bigger than he remembered, but in his panic, he ignored the feeling. Slamming the bathroom door open and flicking on the light, he stared into his reflection.

"_Kagura-chan? Where am I?"_

She giggled. _**"The question isn't 'where,' Naruto-kun, but 'when.'"**_


	2. I Promise

**Hey everyone! Just a little AN. I was absolutely blown away by the positive responses to the first chapter. It was simply a short little 3k that I had on my mind for awhile, a little "What if Naruto had a second chance" sort of deal, always had a soft spot for those. As for the rate of update, it will be relatively sporadic, still working on my other fic, "The Sage of Alagaësia," but I will try to keep it once a week, and the chapters will become longer as I work on it. Read and review! Tell me what you would like to see, what I'm getting right for your tastes, what I'm royally fucking up. Don't be afraid to review and critique, but meaningless flames will be left to hang like a limp dick.**

**EDIT: I had to re-upload this chapter because the doc manager wiped out the formatting so all the bold and italics got fucked over. Sorry for the confusion. -November 20, 2019.**

**Chapter 2: I Promise**

_"This can't be! I'm a kid again!"_

Naruto could only stare at his reflection in shock. Clumsy, stumbling strides took him to the sink, his head barely reaching over the edge of the marble top. His face, which was once sharpened and devoid of baby fat, was now rounded and chubby. However, that wasn't what he was focused on.

"I'M SHORT AGAIN!"

Kagura couldn't think of a proper response to what she had just heard. He was practically back in time, had a second chance at his life, and he was focused on the fact that he was short again?

"Damn it all! I'm a shrimp again-ttebayo!"

_**"Maybe you should eat your vegetables this time, Naruto-kun?"**_ Her advice, however, was met with resistance.

_"Ugh! But they're so… so… bland and gross!"_

_**"But they'll make you tall and handsome, Naruto-kun!"**_ Even as she gave her advice, all Kagura could think about was the idea of an adult Naruto. She was quite thankful for the fact that no one was present to see her blush at the idea.

_"Tch! But they're all tasteless and slimy and gross!"_

She was about to lay into him for being such a brat. He was supposed to be seventeen for crying out loud! Why does he hate the idea of vegetables so much? Didn't he even tell his dad to tell his mom that he would be eating all of his vegetables?

_**"Did you not promise your father you would be eating all of your vegetables?"**_

There was a biting retort somewhere in his mind, he was sure of it, but when she brought up the promises he made to his father, to make his mother proud of him and all that he was going to accomplish, the words simply refused to form. She… was right. For all the crazy, asinine things he had done throughout his years, never once had he willingly or knowingly broken a promise, and he'd be damned if he was going to start breaking his promises now, especially over the subject of vegetables of all things. According to his mom, two things were sacred to all Uzumakis: promises and family, though not specifically in that order. He'd be damned if he was going to be dishonoring his ancestors in any way shape or form.

_"I... did. I guess I have to eat,"_ he shuddered in revulsion, _"vegetables."_ Taking a moment to question how insane this would have sounded to his younger self, he realized that his thoughts were a little too quiet, just a little too peaceful. _"Kurama?"_

Kagura's stomach dropped. _**"Naruto-kun? I… I did not bring him with you."**_

"WHAT!?" Without waiting for an answer, he lifted up his shirt and focused his chakra into the palm of his hand, setting it aglow with his orange chakra. To his relief, the Eight Trigrams seal took shape across his admittedly rotund stomach. Why was his stomach so big?! Was it always like this when he was a kid?!

Taking the existence of the seal as a good sign, he closed his eyes and dove into the seal with practiced ease. The dry, homely appearance of his apartment faded away, replaced by the dark, dank, sewer-like features of his seal. The constant, echoey drip of water was a familiar facet that provided much needed comfort against the cold sensation of dread that had gripped his heart upon hearing Kagura's admittance. For the first time in his life, he prayed. He just wanted Kurama to be there with him. Kurama was there with him for every moment of his life, from the lowest points of his childhood to the heights of his greatest deeds. He was a constant presence, an eternal partner in his lonely life.

"Kurama!"

In his desperation to reach his friend, he didn't notice the change he had undergone within the seal. He was no longer the cute child who knew nothing of the rigours of a ninja's life. Instead, his avatar within the seal was a perfect copy of him on the day of his death. His orange jacket was torn to shreds from the Fourth Great Shinobi War. His pants and sandals were scuffed and charred from the numerous Katon jutsus thrown about the battlefields. His forehead protector, the very same one he had received from Iruka Umino, was scratched. Across the leaf insignia on the metal plate, a jagged gash sliced it in twain.

Heedless of the changes, or lack thereof, to his seal's avatar, he ran through the maze-like tunnels of the seal. The basic layout of the seal represented an octagon, but the twisting trails and deceptive dead ends, representative of the power lines and the seal's integration with his own chakra network, turned the simple polygon into a complex spider web. Luckily for him, he had a guide. Despite the convoluted design of the seal scape, he could sense the putrid malice that poured from his lifelong partner. Before long, he was once again faced with the towering iron bars that marked the end of his search. Wading through the ankle-high water, he slowly closed the distance to the bars in anxious silence.

**"So my warden has finally decided to greet me."**

He had a lot of expectations and fears for his inevitable encounter with the bijū that he had once considered a friend and ally. However, they did not involve a purring, nearly _seductive_ voice to greet him from the confines of the cage that the seal represented. Two slitted eyes, glowing crimson like the gaze of some infernal demon, surveyed him with obvious hatred and curiosity.

**"Strange. I did not think it has been that many years since I was sealed into your worthless body, ningen."**

The sheer hatred poured into her last word was ignored by the flabbergasted Naruto. Although most knew him as an idiotic knucklehead, he was still bright and observant enough to know when something was wrong or a threat to his well being. Currently, warning bells were going off in his mind as he approached the shadowed figure of whom he hoped would one day become his partner and confidant.

_"Those eyes. Why are they so small? Kurama's eyes were bigger than I was. So why…"_

**"Fox got your tongue, ningen? Or are you too stupid to speak when spoken to by a higher being?"**

He ignored the verbal vitriol the shadowed figure spewed at him in favor of getting closer to the shadowed alcove that hid his would-be partner from view.

**"That's it… come closer to me… I want to see every detail on your face as I RIP YOUR HEART OUT!"**

_CLANG!_

Naruto's sharp reflexes barely saved him from being skewered by a clawed chakra arm. Mere centimeters from his face was a sharp claw formed entirely out of the bijū's viscous red chakra. That was nothing new to him. What drew his attention was the form of his attacker, drawn out of their darkened corner by the opportunity to seize their freedom. Beneath the bubbling coat of chakra, a pale arm and hand served as the anchor for the shell of toxic chakra, as the index and middle fingers reached out to him with malicious intent. The white sleeve of a red-trimmed kimono covered up to the middle of her forearm. But he noticed none of this, for the face of his attacker was placed under his exclusive and extensive scrutiny.

A heart-shaped face, framed by wavy locks of fiery red hair, was illuminated by the inconsistent lighting of the seal scape. Three sets of whisker-like markings adorned her cheeks, complemented by the two fox ears on her head. Her otherwise beautiful face was marred by a hideous sneer, baring her conspicuously sharp canines to him.

**"Tsk. _So close_."** Her words, although obvious in their intentions, still carried the sultry undertones of a seductress.

Her words broke him out of the trance that he had been drawn into, finally drawing his eyes to her most prominent features: nine fox tails danced and swayed behind her. Each tail was longer than she was tall, but seemed nearly weightless in the way they ebbed and flowed in the air currents that only they could feel. Even through the protective field established between himself and the vulpine woman by the seal, he could still feel the power she held.

"K-Kyūbi?" Though he didn't intend for his inquiry to come out in such a breathless whisper, she seemed to have no trouble hearing him.

**"Oh? So my warden could actually speak. Good. I didn't want this to be a one-sided conversation."** The saucy, seductive tone quickly melted away, replaced by a caustic sneer. **"You!"**

The Kyūbi leveled a loathsome glare at the newcomer who stood behind her warden. Those eyes. The horns. The shock of white hair. This newcomer was just as her father had described: the goddess who had threatened to plunge the world into eternal slumber.

**"Kaguya Ōtsutsuki!"** Although she couldn't care less about the humans who have bastardized and subverted her father's teachings, she was still responsible for the protection of the world at large. This Earth was her domain! Though she did wonder as to how the woman, who was supposedly sealed into the moon through the combined effort of Hagoromo and Hamura Ōtsutsuki, had managed to enter the seal.

**"I am not Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. My name is Kagura."**

**"Well then, _Kagura_,"** if she was any lesser being, she might have had a heart attack and died from the sheer hostility in the bijū's voice, **"care to explain why you are here?"**

Although it was phrased as a question, Kagura knew better; it was a command. She did not have to answer the haughty vixen, but she humored her nonetheless. **"I am here to accompany Naruto Uzumaki, your jinchūriki."**

This more than piqued the bijū's interest. Her instincts have been on a razor's edge ever since she laid eyes on the white-haired woman. Straightening her posture, the Kyūbi did her best to give a demure smile, playing off her intrigue. **"And what is he to you?"**

Kagura did her best to keep the influx of pride and giddy butterflies in her stomach, but she couldn't stop the slight straightening of her back and shoulders. **"My champion."**

_**"Champion?"**_ That was not what she expected. _**"This wet behind the ears, fresh off the teat brat?"**_ Even now, he seemed confounded by her very presence. If he reacted this poorly to her presence, it will be unlikely for him to survive whatever trials he must face. She was snapped out of her thoughts when her jinchūriki staggered up to bars that separated them. At first, she thought he would lash out at her, much like her second jinchūriki. However, with the seal of the Yondaime holding her back, there was nothing she could do if he decided to take his anger out on her.

_RIP!_

_**"What?"**_

She stared at the teen who had ripped away a part of the seal tag on her prison. She was more than ready to verbally rip into him and demand answers about what he thought he was doing, but she stopped.

Those eyes.

When she stared into his eyes, those cerulean orbs held nothing but understanding. Compassion.

"You're not alone anymore, Kyūbi-chan."

...

She said nothing, letting the silence that followed his words to hang ominously in the air. The only acoustic stimulus that remained was the constant drip of the seal's boiler-like design.

_CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!_

Without warning, several tails of bubbling, toxic chakra crashed against the iron gates. Over and over again, the tails did their best to tear apart the means of her imprisonment. All the while, she stood stockstill, yet her eyes glowed crimson with her burning hatred.

**"You insolent little whelp."** For the first time in over a century, the Kyūbi no Kitsune was livid, but her voice was no louder than a whisper. **"Who are you to come in here and extend a hand of friendship to me when you know nothing of who I am? Who are you to dare approach me without fear?"** The miasma of toxic chakra that enveloped her took upon the snarling visage of her avatar, a translucent fox of crimson fur, which towered over the occupants of the seal.

With his piece said, Naruto turned around and walked away from the angry vixen. By his third step, his body had already faded away, leaving the two women alone in the seal.

With the object of her ire gone, she turned it onto the only remaining entity. **"What do you want? Why don't you follow your little _champion_?"** Releasing a huff of anger, she turned around, ready to march back into the darkness and isolation of her prison.

**"My champion is more than capable of surviving without me."** Kagura closed her eyes. **"You would berate him for his unmitigated gall, to approach you within what you consider your domain without knowing anything about you. Yet here you are, doing the exact same thing."** She left without saying another word, leaving the demoness alone with her thoughts.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

She found him within the recesses of his mind, seated against the trunk of a tree whose diameter rivaled that of the Shinju (God Tree). Sensing the pain and confusion in him, she was more than a little apprehensive since she expected a verbal admonishment of some kind. His mindscape, true to its name, reflected his emotional state. Dark, stormy clouds hung overhead, threatening to flood the world in their pain. The turbulent wind blew around the clearing, fostering ominous creaks and groans from the great tree that sat at the center of his mind.

"You didn't send us back in time, did you Kagura-chan?"

She knew the question was rhetorical, but answered him nevertheless. **"No, I did not."**

He responded to her answer with silence. Thankfully, his emotions seemed to have settled on a new baseline, judging from the state of his mindscape. However, the thought brought her no comfort. If anything, it left her chest aching in regret and self-hatred. She did not mean for him to find out in such a manner. She truly wanted to comfort him, to ease the pain and loneliness he must be feeling. But whatever words or actions of comfort she came up with in her mind seemed so trivial and meaningless against the weight of his suffering.

_**"Even if it seems trivial, to do nothing for him would mean I am no better than those who have allowed a child to be ostracized by an entire society of people."**_ Her mind made up, she strode forward, nervous, yet unwavering. The frown on her lips deepened as she got closer to the troubled teen. _**"So young, yet to have experienced so much."**_

She sat in his lap without warning, pressing herself against him. Her arms wrapped themselves around his broad shoulders and tucked his head into the crook of her neck. When Naruto did not return her embrace, she was afraid she had overstepped his personal boundaries. Despite being so close to him, she nearly missed the next thing he'd said.

"Why didn't you tell me-ttebayo?"

**"I wanted to tell you, Naruto-kun. And more than anything else, I wanted to take you back into the past, to change the course of history so you could have saved your friends without plunging the entire world into war."** She was a deity, yet she found herself wishing, praying with all her heart that he would not hate her for not being able to send him back in time to prevent the atrocities that would occur. **"But I cannot. No one can. Not even my Mother, whose very existence defines the nature of the Multiverse, could send someone into the past of their own world without severe repercussions."**

"Then I really can't save them?"

The anguish and desperation that choked up his voice nearly broke her. She could feel her throat tightening as her heart panged with hurt. In spite of the mental fortitude she possessed, her walls came crumbling down when she felt his arms shakily wrap themselves around her waist and trails of moisture stained her neck. She choked back a sob of her own as she felt his shoulders begin to shake uncontrollably.

At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to grant her champion's wishes and truly send him back into the past of his own world, the Divine Accords be damned. However, she knew that falling into her desires would only cause more problems in the long run for both of them.** "No. You cannot save those you knew."**

The flash of lightning and the subsequent clap of thunder was followed by a torrential downpour as Naruto's mind bore the brunt of his emotional stress. She held him as he cried, planting tender kisses along the side of his head as he allowed his bottled up emotions to come to the surface.

He never had the chance to say goodbye. He never had the chance to tell Hinata-chan how he felt about her. He never got the chance to eat at Ichiraku's again. He never got to take the hat from Tsunade-baa-chan and keep his promise to her. With a tearful thought, he realized that his life had ended in almost the exact same manner that it had started.

Alone.

At first, he was only regretful, knowing that he had lost his life before he could accomplish his dreams, but took solace in the reason he had died: to protect everyone he had ever known. Now, upon seeing the Kyūbi and realizing that his hope of protecting those he had known and loved was nothing more than a dream, his emotions came back with a vengeance. He knew nothing of these people. They were not the ones he had fought, bled, and died for.

Strangers. That's all they were.

**"Naruto-kun."** His downward spiral of emotions temporarily stalled as he felt her cup his cheek. **"I know you are upset right now."** His eyes, red and teary, followed hers as she adjusted herself and looked into his eyes.

_"Had she been crying?"_

**"Your friends are gone, Naruto-kun."**

He bit back the growl that threatened to leave his lips. Didn't she think he knew that? Didn't she think he knew that he failed to return to them? That he had died in the line of duty? There was no honor in dying on the field of battle. There was no honor in knowing that his best efforts would only lead to his death.

**"But it does not have to stay that way."**

His eyes widened in surprise._ "What?"_

**"Your memories of your friends are the only things that still define those you once knew as nakama (family). Even if I had truly sent you back into the past of your own world, they would not have known you."** Kagura's tears now poured down her cheeks, fully realizing the pain her champion must feel, forced to see the people he loved but his love could not be reciprocated. **"But this is a new chance for you to reforge those bonds and to make new ones, ones you never even knew were possible."** Her thumb brushed away his tears, which have slowly abated, much like the downpour overhead, leaving only a light drizzle.

He knew she was right, but his heart refused to forget them, hanging onto their memories like a lifeline.

**"You do not have to forget them,"** she whispered as she held his gaze. **"Hold them close to your heart, but do not let the ghosts of your past prevent you from moving on. And you are not alone, my champion. You will never be alone again. I will always be by your side."** Kagura sealed her promise to the blond jinchūriki with a kiss, just a simple, chaste brushing of her lips against his.

She had intended for the kiss to be chaste; she had intended to pull away from her champion. However, her intentions were subverted when Naruto's hand covered her own, keeping it on his cheek. His other arm wrapped itself around her waist and held her close. His lips melded themselves against her own. Where their cheeks met, she could feel the warmth of fresh tears that accompanied the desperation she could feel through his kiss. When their lips parted an eternity and forever later, neither of them blushed at the intimacy.

"Promise?"

**"I promise."**


	3. Tag! You're It!

**Chapter 3: Tag! You're It!**

The sun was already setting by the time Naruto had left the familiarity of his mindscape and the comfort of Kagura's embrace. The memory of their kiss brought a smile to his lips, though the intimacy was only the cherry on top of the cherished memory. Her promise to him was the focal point of his recollection and emotional relief. Her lips, while warm, soft, and as smooth as silk, meant nothing compared to the words that came before and after the kiss.

He could have spent the rest of the day lost in his thoughts, reminiscing in the solace brought to him by her presence, but his young body demanded to be fueled, lest it ran a nutrient deficit. Begrudgingly, he drew his attention away from the memories of the beautiful goddess and moved to his bedside drawer. From within, he removed Gama-chan, his toad-themed wallet. With a quick glance at the calendar that hung by his window, he noted the current date.

"_Five years old, huh? I should be going to the academy in a few years, but I should do something in the meantime to keep my skills sharp."_ If there was one thing that his godfather had drilled into his head during their three year training trip, aside from the fact that the old man was a reprehensible pervert of epic proportions, it was the constant maintenance of one's skills. No point having your skills and powers if you're too out of practice to use them.

Quickly rifling through the contents of his wallet, he winced as he noted the lack of funds. Damned grocers and their prejudice. No wonder he was - correction, _is _\- so short as a child. He dares anyone to live on a diet of only ramen as a child and get any taller than this. He'll either have to find some way to get some more income to afford more diversity in his diet or find some other way to get the necessary nutrients for proper growth.

He could already guess which one he'll have to resort to.

While he was busy taking stock of his current resources, Kagura was seething in the recesses of his mind. She knew of the psychological abuse he had suffered as a child, but seeing it, just the effects it has on him, drew her ire to the surface. To take out one's anger and hatred against a child is the worst form of cowardice.

Naruto, ignorant of his new tenant's current desires to see those who have wronged him as a child burned to ashes and scattered to the winds, wandered through his apartment, looking through his drawers, closet, pantry and fridge. As he expected, a mix of orange, blue, and ramen stood as the majority of his clothing options and his only viable food source.

"_It'll have to do for now-ttebayo. Maybe I could get something tomorrow or maybe even tonight."_ Taking out a cup of ramen and an electric kettle, he waited patiently for the water to boil. _"Now, what am I going to do about those ANBU?"_

Earlier, in his panic and excitement over being sent back in time, or at least what he thought was back in time, he had failed to properly note his surroundings. Now, calmer and more aware, he had quickly taken notice of five presences that had remained stationary outside of his apartment. The operatives had suppressed their chakra, forcing the turbulent rivers of energy that raged through their bodies to flow more smoothly. While this makes it more difficult for their presence to be detected by conventional sensors, they still disrupted the flow of natural energy around them, which is something that Naruto could sense given his senjutsu training with the toads on Mount Myōboku.

Sadly, he would never be able to duplicate this simple feat of chakra suppression. His chakra, due to his Uzumaki heritage and status as jinchūriki, would never allow him to properly hide from a sensor. His very presence alone saturates the air around him with chakra, making him a walking beacon to even the most basic of sensors. If he tried to actively suppress his chakra, it would be like trying to put a stopper on an active volcano. Sure, you managed to prevent anymore more lava from surfacing, but the second the pressure is released, all hell is going to break loose. Though he honestly wondered if the consequences of such a thing were all that bad. Either his chakra would explosively release itself from his tenketsus or his chakra network would explode from the additional pressure.

…

You know what? Never mind. It really is all that bad. If it was the former, he would wreck his surroundings. If it was the latter, he'd be dead.

"_I'll leave that for a shadow clone to figure out at some point. As for those ANBU… eh. Either they'll tell Old Man Hokage about me using my chakra this morning or going to the Forest of Death at some point. But they're not the ones I'm worried about."_

The sound of the kettle's telltale whistle pulled him out of his thoughts. His body went on autopilot as he made his supper, impatiently waiting through the three minutes it takes for the boiling hot water to properly cook the noodles.

"_If only I could make ramen instantly."_

"_**If only you ate something other than ramen."**_

He pouted. _"You know that's not my fault, Kagura-chan."_

"_**I know, but that does not mean I have to like it." **_If anything, the fact that a child is forced to rely on the world's most nutrient deficient food for sustenance set her blood boiling.

Slurping down his cup ramen with a zeal unique to the Uzumaki clan and their strange addiction, his mind wandered, trying to remember all of the things in his childhood that led to the way he'd met his friends.

The Konoha Twelve.

Hinata Hyūga. His heart clenched uncomfortably at the mention of her name. What was she going to do about her? His first instinct was to talk to her as soon as the first opportunity presents itself, but his training, and common sense, told him it wouldn't be the brightest thing to do. If he suddenly started interacting with the Hyūga heiress with no prior meetings, he would probably be dragged away from the young girl by her retainers. Or be used as target practice for their Jūken. After experiencing the pain of feeling his tenketsus getting closed off by Neji, he was more than willing to not deal with it all over again.

"_Guess I'll just have to wait for awhile before I get to see her again."_

Speaking of Neji Hyūga, what was he going to do about the stick in his ass? If he did nothing until their first Chūnin Exams, then Hinata would have to go through the beatdown she experienced during the elimination stage. An audible growl escaped his lips. No way in hell was he going to let that happen. But there was nothing he could do about the Hyūga prodigy's mindset! The only way he had pulled the ten-foot pole out of Neji's ass was by beating the shit out of him during the Chūnin finals!

Naruto winced. He'd only started thinking about the interactions between two of his friends and his head was ready to cave in on itself. This was going to be troublesome.

"Bah! Enough thinking for one day! Time to get my training started-ttebayo!" Grabbing a lighter he'd... procured - yeah, let's go with that - and pocketing it along with a kunai that scavenged, Naruto gave himself a once over before heading towards the window.

Kagura gave an affectionately annoyed sigh at her champion's ineptitude for prolonged sessions of brainstorming. She is going to have to change that.

"But what am I going to do about _that_ ANBU?"

Deciding that the best approach is the most forward - obviously - Naruto climbed out of his window and shut it behind him. Wasting no time, he walked towards the nearest void within the natural energy of the area, which happened to be a spot on the tiling of his apartment's sloping roof.

And stared at it.

...

The silence of Naruto's mindscape was quickly broken by a resounding _smack_, courtesy of Kagura's palm meeting the middle of her forehead.

"_**My champion is about as subtle as his favorite color."**_This time, Naruto was ready with a retort.

"_You kissed me after meeting me for ten minutes!"_ Thus, Naruto marked down a point of victory for himself as he heard the immortal goddess sputter incoherently.

"_**I-I! Y-You…"**_When her brain refused to cooperate, Kagura simply held her tongue and blushed in absolute silence.

Taking a quick peek into his mindscape to check in on the blushing goddess, he couldn't keep the thought that crossed his mind from slipping out.

"_Cute."_ When her entire face turned crimson, he smirked, knowing that this round belonged to him.

"_Two points to Naruto Uzumaki!"_

"How can I help you Uzumaki-san?"

Blink.

Oh. That's right. He has been staring at the ANBU guard for a few minutes now. The soft, sweet voice that called out to him, however, was rather unexpected. A section of the tiled roof began to peel away, indicating the subtle sensory genjutsu used by the ANBU operative to conceal herself. The first thing that stood out to him was her long purple hair. The next thing he noticed was the cat-themed mask, which bore a single whisker mark on each cheek and a single wavy red line that ran down between the mask's eye holes.

She was clothed in a skin-tight black top with a gray flak vest on top. Her arms were covered beneath black gloves that ran the length of her arm, only stopping at the middle of her biceps. A pair of gray forearm protectors acted as additional defense to the straight-edged ninjato strapped to her back. The sword lacked the traditional tsuba (guard) of most katanas. A black pair of pants and black shinobi sandals completed the ensemble.

Slipping on his own mask, Naruto gave his usual close eyed smile at the young teen. "Good evening, Neko-chan!"

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Yūgao Uzuki was bored out of her mind. And it was all her friends' fault.

"Join ANBU," they said.

"It's very prestigious," they said.

"It'll put your skills to the test," they said.

Her newly-designated squad, Codename: Tatsumaki (Tornado), was currently _babysitting_ and that was no goddamn joke. Her Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai (Special Assassination and Tactical Squad) was _babysitting_.

"_If I wanted to babysit, I would just take a D-rank!"_

She, and the rest of her team, knew the significance of Tatsumaki's objective: the protection of Konoha's sole jinchūriki. Although Konoha had come out on top of the last three shinobi world wars without the aid of a jinchūriki, the young boy who held the Kyūbi no Kitsune was still an important military asset for the village. That's what they were here for: to protect the boy from threats, both internal and external. Especially against internal threats.

But that didn't make it any less boring!

The sound of a window opening made her muscles reflexively tense and flex in preparation for immediate action. What she wasn't prepared for was the sight of Tatsumaki's charge climbing out of the closing window. The young boy, through no stretch of the imagination, was small. Standing a little less than a meter in height, the boy wore a black shirt bearing the red swirl of the Uzumaki clan and a pair of khaki shorts. His shoes, a pair of black sneakers muffled, but didn't eliminate, the sound of his footsteps.

However, it wasn't his clothes that made her on edge. It was the way he carried himself. As far as she and everyone else knew, Codename: Maelstrom was a civilian child despite his massive chakra reserves. Yet here was their charge, carrying himself with the grace and coiled tension of a veteran shinobi, something she had seen all too often under the training of her ANBU commanders and trainers, especially those who fought on the frontlines of the Third Shinobi World War.

For a single moment, she feared someone had already killed the boy and used the **Henge **to take his place. She was more than prepared for such an eventuality as her right hand instinctively held onto the grip of her ninjato, her left hand forming half of the Ram seal and pushing her chakra to sense outwards.

What she sensed nearly sent her toppling off the apartment complex's roof in shock.

He was _bleeding_ chakra! The air around the young boy was saturated with his unique orange chakra, something that not even the **Henge** could replicate. As soon as she sensed it, she was ready to relax once again to maintain her silent vigil, only for the boy to approach her.

And _stare_ at her.

She thought he would have walked right by her hiding spot, maybe glance in her direction through some sixth sense that told him he was being watched. Instead, the boy walked right up to her, his feet somehow not slipping on the roof's tiles, and stared directly into her eyes. She couldn't keep the look of shock from her face.

He could _sense_ her! That shouldn't be! No civilian child with no practical training could ever hope to sense an ANBU hidden behind a genjutsu with their chakra suppressed! It has to be a fluke! For the sake of her pride as an ANBU operative and skills as a kunoichi, this _cannot_ be happening!

And so, for the next five minutes, Yūgao felt her pride and ego get absolutely _decimated_. Every few seconds, she would silently move to the side, and, every time, the boy's eyes would track her movement. That wasn't what upset her. No. It was the way his eyes had glossed over the second he'd stepped in front of her.

He was tracking her while zoning out!

Her anger finally get the better of her after five minutes were up.

"How can I help you Uzumaki-san?"

How she kept the anger out of her voice, she will never know. Perhaps it was her sense of professionalism. Perhaps it was her psychological training. Whatever it was, it kept her from snapping at the brat.

When the boy smiled at her, she felt her cheeks twitch reflexively in an attempt to smile at the boy. She knew he wouldn't have seen it given her Neko mask, but for some reason, his smile was almost contagious.

"Good evening, Neko-chan!" At least he was courteous enough to greet her. "Could we play tag?"

"_Oh. He just wants to play-" _

"Tag! You're it!"

"_Huh?!"_

By the time the thought had crossed her mind, the brat was already gone.

"_What. The. Fuck."_

She watched in shock as this supposed civilian child cleared the five meter gap between his roof and the nearest building before dropping into a combat roll. Did he just _wave _at her over his shoulder? Oh this little shit is gonna get it. Pressing two fingers to her ear, she called out to her squad over their radio frequency.

"Maelstrom is on the move! I repeat, Maelstrom is on the move!"

Immediately, her squad acknowledged her call to action, dropping their genjutsus and unlocking their chakra. The four shadows quickly gave chase, two of the guards flanked on either side behind the young jinchūriki while Yūgao and the second nearest ANBU followed directly behind him. Apparently, she wasn't the only one surprised by the boy's use of chakra enhancement.

"What the fuck?! I thought the Commander said he was a civie!" Taka (Hawk) yelled through their comms.

"He is! He's not even in the Academy yet!" Their squad captain, Kuma (Bear), replied, equally surprised.

"Neko! What did he say to you?" The second-in-command, Buta (Boar)1, called out to her.

"He asked if we could play tag and just took off!"

Even as the squad spoke to each other, they kept their eyes on their target, watching as he jumped and parkoured with surprising grace over several buildings, only using his chakra to mitigate the sounds he was making. Kuma pointed out the subtle, but impressive skill the boy was showing.

"He's sticking to the shadows and when he needs to cross open roads, he uses the glare of lights and signs to mask his movements. Neko, are you sure this is Maelstrom?" She could feel the eyes of her captain boring into the side of her head, scrutinizing her.

"Yes! I felt his chakra earlier, before he took off. He's our charge, without a doubt. But," she bit back a wince, "he could sense me, even with my chakra suppressed and under genjutsu!"

If the situation wasn't so strange and serious, she would have laughed when she saw Taka trip from the corner of her eye. Thankfully, her teammate caught himself before he tumbled.

"What?! But-"

"Enough! We'll find out once we catch up to him." Buta, flanking on Maelstrom's left side, was forced to speed up as the group approached Konohagakure's northern border: Training Ground 44. "Shit! If we don't catch him, he's going to get himself killed in there!"

The group forced extra chakra into their legs, pushing further and faster in order to catch the boy, preferably before he gets himself killed in Konoha's most dangerous training ground. However, even as the ANBU pushed themselves to the limit, they failed to make any progress towards the jinchūriki.

"Captain!" Buta called out over their comms. "Maelstrom has crossed the fence."

All the while, Yūgao was internally cursing herself out for her lack of appreciation for some peace and quiet. Now, she was wishing for the peace and quiet to come back. Who would have thought that the little shit could be so fast?!

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The Kyūbi no Kitsune was… surprised… by what she bore witness to. For the first time since she was sealed away within Mito Uzumaki, she could experience things outside of the seal. She could feel the wind on her face. She could smell the scents of the forest. She could hear the rustle of the leaves and the racing heart of her jinchūriki.

It was exhilarating!

When the brat had approached the "hidden" kunoichi, she felt rather vindicated in her earlier assessment. This "champion" of Kagura's was nothing but an idiot. Rather than hiding his skills, he had already exposed himself to the elite shinobi of this village.

Then… he took off towards the northern forest that borders the village. While she couldn't care less about the fancy footwork displayed by the little brat, she was a little impressed by the speed he moved at.

"_Not bad, for a five year old brat. Now show me what your plan is, little Uzumaki."_

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"_**What are you planning, Naruto-kun?"**_

"_Now that would be telling, Kagura-chan."_

"_**Aw. You would not even share with me?"**_ He could hear the pout on her lips and it was rather tempting to tell her, but he'd rather not spoil the surprise.

"_I'd rather you just see it first hand-ttebayo."_

As he ran and vaulted through the branches of the Forest of Death with his ANBU guard hot on his tail, he was rather surprised by how well this plan has been going. The _other_ "ANBU" had left soon after took off from his apartment, most likely to report to his master.

"_**Such an obedient little dog,"**_sneered Kagura.

Naruto nearly went face first into a tree branch upon hearing the goddess, who had shown nothing but attention and support for him, sneer. If it had come from Kyūbi-chan, he wouldn't have been surprised. Hearing it from the sweet goddess, however, was another thing entirely.

"_Note to self, do NOT piss off Kagura-chan."_

Once he surrounded himself in the denser foliage of the forest, Naruto initiated the next phase of his plan.

"**Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"**

A hundred clones spawned around him in quick succession before they took off in a seemingly random pattern, away from the oncoming pursuit of ANBU guards. Each clone was careful to leave no trace of themselves as they disappeared into the foliage with the use of **Meisaigakure no Jutsu (Hidden Camouflage Technique).**

"Now… for dinner."

"_**Have you not had your fill yet, Naruto-kun?"**_

"_Not yet, Kagura-chan. I'm a growing boy-ttebayo! I'm gonna need a lot more than ramen to get into grow and get into shape."_ Naruto paused, contemplating the words he just thought. Clasping his hands together in a prayer formation, he offered his apologies for the heretical thoughts that had passed through his mind. _"Forgive me, Ramen Gods. I did not mean to offend you. Ramen will always be the food of the gods. Amen."_

Kagura couldn't hold back the amused giggle that managed to escape her lips. Her champion was such an immature child sometimes.

The sound of a hissing snake brought Naruto out of his religious fervor. His eyebrows twitched in annoyance at the heretical snake who dared to interrupt his prayer/apology to the Ramen Gods.

"You would dare interrupt my apology to the Ramen Gods?!" Pulling out his procured kunai with a flourish, Naruto sharpened his chakra into two fine blades of wind around the point of his kunai before throwing it straight at the snake. The snake didn't even have time to twitch as the wind-enhanced kunai pierced through the base of its skull and severed its head from the rest of its body.

"_**Ne, Naruto-kun,"**_prompted Kagura, _**"since snakes are basically just one long noodle… does that not make them messengers of the Ramen Gods?"**_

Forever more, Kagura could swear, in that instant, she heard the sound of a trainwreck in the distance as Naruto's entire body froze. For a few precious seconds, she could hear the gears in his head work in overtime as he tried to process what she had said. Once a full thirty seconds had gone by without a single peep from the young champion, Kagura feared she had mentally broken him.

"_Nah! Kagura-chan, no messengers of the Ramen Gods would ever allow people like Pedorochimaru and Kabuto-teme to sign their summoning contract. No way!"_

Kagura giggled into the sleeve of her kimono, clearly enjoying the strange thoughts that go through her champion's mind.

"_**Are you sure, Naruto-kun?"**_

Without further adieu, Naruto recovered his kunai, grabbed onto the snake's tail and jumped off the flimsy branches at the top of the canopy to the natural shelter of the tree's twisted roots. Judicious use of the wind-enhanced blade reduced several of the smaller, low-reaching branches into kindling and firewood. One spark from his lighter was more than enough to set the pile ablaze, making him one step closer to finishing his plan and one step closer to being caught by his ANBU guard. Though he couldn't care too much about that last one.

"_Uhn! And you can't change my mind-ttebayo!"_

She shook her head in affectionate exasperation as her champion set about skinning, gutting, and prepping the snake for its stint over the fire. For someone who has been ostracized by practically everyone he knew as a child and fought through the worst war in the history of the Elemental Nations, he remained incredibly upbeat and carefree. Even now, cut off from the life that he knew and the people he loved, he still looked towards the next sunrise with infectious hope and charismatic optimism. Even with all her knowledge and wisdom, she could still not comprehend his iron will and indomitable spirit. He was determined, yes, but what drives him so?

He was an orphan whose existence was despised, seen as an insult to the efforts of their beloved Yondaime. Already, she could see the results of their relentless persecution of the short blond. His ribs were showing through the thin mesh of his skin. His face, although not gaunt, did not have the healthy shape of a well-fed child. His cheekbones stood out just a little too much, his eyes just a little too sunken in. Then there was his height. This poor child is the son of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki. Their child should stand above average height by quite a margin, yet here he is, several inches below average for a five year old child.

Kagura _bristled_. For an instant, she regretted giving Naruto a second chance. He should not have to go through this miserable existence a second time, but she knew that this period of his life would come to define the man, the hero who would arise from the tumultuous flames of war.

"_**At least he is not alone this time."**_

Of course, he was never truly alone, given the entity that resides within the seal on his gut, but the fox of his old world was a bitter, cantankerous existence. Not exactly the best companion for a young, impressionable child who was starving for attention and affection.

"_**I hope this Kyūbi will be more receptive to having a tolerable, if not amicable, relationship with her jinchūriki."**_

Meanwhile, Naruto gave a silent moan of annoyance at the current state of his body. Despite the short ten minutes it had taken for him to reach the forest from his apartment, his limbs were already suffering from the sudden surge of chakra they were forced to endure. He could already feel the Kyūbi's chakra at work, doing its best to repair the damage done to his limbs. While his chakra was still the powerful torrent of energy he had learned to harness during the war, his body was no longer at its peak. In fact, it was quite the opposite. If he were to hazard a guess, he would say he was no more powerful than a well-trained Genin at the moment, and even that was only for however long his body could handle the chakra reinforcement needed to help him keep up with the fast-paced battles of the shinobi world.

Before his dinner could finish cooking, he felt the natural energy around him fluctuate as his ANBU guard surround him. Three of them took up strategic positions around him, one above and to his right flank, one above and to his left and one directly overhead. The fourth ANBU member, the Neko-masked female he'd tagged earlier, landed in front of him.

He didn't need his innate empathic abilities, a passive trait of those who hold the Kyūbi no Kitsune, to tell that she was annoyed. With the firelight illuminating her, she looked rather intimidating. If he was at his normal height, it wouldn't have done anything. But he wasn't. So this girl, a well-trained and thoroughly annoyed kunoichi, would be more than able to put the fear of Kami into him.

"Uzumaki-san." Kami, she even _sounded_ annoyed.

"Neko-chan!" He allowed none of the trepidation he felt to show on his face.

"Care to explain why you left your home?"

"Because I was hungry. Duh!" As if to show proof of his claim, he raised up the stick he had been using as a skewer for the snake he'd killed. He _almost_ fucked up by letting his imagination supply him with the image of her eyebrow twitching spastically.

"_Don't laugh, dumbass. Don't do it." _He almost lost it for a second time when Neko took a second to visibly compose herself. _"Keep it together!"_

"Uzumaki-s-"

"Naruto."

"_Uzumaki-san_," she insisted, "how are you able to access your chakra?"

Tilting his head to the side and blinking owlishly, he played his part in this long con. "Chakra?"

For the third time in almost two minutes, he had to bite down on the corner of his mouth with his canines to keep himself from laughing as the ANBU operative twitched.

"Yes. How are you able to move so quickly?"

Naruto gave his next words obvious thought, taking several seconds of silence to devise his response. Closing his eyes and tilting his head to the side, he gave her a broad grin to go along with his answer.

"I don't know!" Sadly, he couldn't visibly react when he felt the ANBU above him nearly slip from the tree branch. He gave no further answer as he dug into his dinner.

"_It's no ramen, but it'll have to do."_ He could still remember the long-winded lecture Sakura, Shizune and Tsunade had given him about the nutrients one needs to properly develop. Most of it went over his head. He just remembers that he has to eat a lot of different foods unless he wants to stay short for the rest of his life.

"_**If ramen was truly the food of the gods, you would only need to eat ramen and nothing else to grow properly."**_

"_Kagura-chan! How could you say such a thing-ttebayo?!"_

"_**Quite easily, my little champion."**_

"_You're so mean."_

Though he was a little annoyed at the way she'd teased him about his height, the soft giggle of amusement he'd managed to draw from her was more than worth it. He was only drawn out of his conversation with the goddess when he felt a glowing green hand passed by his face.

"Eh?"

"Hold still, Uzumaki-san." He did as he was told, waiting for the green glow to fade from her hand before he started eating again. "You were able to travel across the entire village in a little over ten minutes, access your chakra, and killed a snake without being bitten at the tender age of five. Just… who are you?"

"Naruto Uzumaki," he proudly proclaimed, "future Hokage-ttebayo!" For some strange reason, he felt a confusing tingle of fear and anticipation as he heard a quiet squeal of happiness from the goddess.

"_**So cute!"**_Kagura was so tempted to materialize herself outside of his mindscape and cuddle the stuffing out of her little champion, but kept herself in check, if only barely.

The young ANBU seemed to share the goddess's disposition as she gave his cheek a soft pinch. "Of course, little Hokage."

He would have fought her tooth and nail for using such a patronising tone on him, but he was too caught up in the way her fingers had brushed across his cheek. A soft, rumbling sound emitted itself from his chest, causing every person in the vicinity to freeze.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"_He just purred!"_ Yūgao squealed giddily in the privacy of her own mind, unknowingly sharing the same exact words as a certain goddess and bijū . Trained ANBU kunoichi or not, she was still a girl at heart and the cute purring sound that was coming from her charge was simply too adorable to ignore.

"W-What are you d-doing-ttebayo?!"

Ignoring his protests, she picked up the young boy and sat him in her lap. Brushing her thumb across the whisker marks on his cheeks, her smile grew wider when the boy's protests were replaced by purring once more. All the while, the rest of Tatsumaki was staring at the scene in obvious conflict. On one hand, they wanted to save their fellow male from their teammate's degrading torture session. On the other hand, they wanted to get back at him for making them chase him across the entire village.

Decisions, decisions.

Thankfully, the choice was made for them when Maelstrom decided that it would be easier, not to mention better for his health, if he simply accepted his fate.

Smart kid.

"Now who's gonna have to tell the Hokage about this shit?" The three males of Tatsumaki froze, not wanting to get the short straw of having to tell the Hokage that his de facto civilian grandson just outran his ANBU watch. That conversation would not end well for them. Neko was too busy cooing over a purring Naruto to care. Accepting his fate with a resigned sigh, Kuma scratched the back of his head.

"I'll have to as squad leader." Although they could all sympathize with their squad leader, there was one job that none of them wanted to deal with. Unfortunately, Taka had to bring it up.

"So who's gonna tell Neko-chan that she can't keep him?"

The three froze in fear when an ungodly amount of killing intent was leveled at them. Shakily turning their gazes away from each other and towards the source of the KI. They could swear, under torture by Ibiki, they saw Neko's eyes burn crimson behind her mask.

"_I thought her eyes were brown,"_ they simultaneously thought.

"Mine." The possessive tone of voice would have been cute coming from the twelve year old ANBU if it wasn't for the lethal glare leveled on them.

As this was going on, Naruto was blissfully unaware of their discussion, courtesy of Neko's thumbs stroking across his cheeks.

"_Mmmm. This is the life."_

* * *

**Hey guys! Originally, this was gonna be a bit longer and have more things about Naruto getting used to his body again, but this cute idea came into my head and I just couldn't turn away from it. Hopefully, I'll be able to get some longer chapters out, but it's hard because I'm basically just winging it, writing down what comes to mind and editing it as I go along. Not having anything pre-written is kind of a bitch. Review! Leave ideas you'd like for me to include!**

**Will it be a harem? FUCK YEA! Is it gonna have an obscene amount of girls that makes no goddamn sense in terms of dividing his attention between them? FUCK NO!**

**But speaking of girls, Naruto's not just gonna pick them up like Pokémon. Been rereading "The Last Prayer" by GraeFoxx to get a better feel for character development. Big props to GraeFoxx for their story. Won't be plagiarizing anything if that's what you're wondering. But the way GraeFoxx writes their characters and the interactions just feel so natural so I wanted some inspiration and references for my own fanfiction. Honestly inspiring to read because of the interaction between the girls. Very refreshing to see when compared to most harem stories. All I gotta say is: character development is a bitch.**

**Smile and have a nice day!**


	4. I'm Getting a Sensei!

**Chapter 4: I'm Getting a Sensei?!**

Hiruzen Sarutobi, better known as the Sandaime Hokage, is the longest reigning Hokage to have ever taken the hat and one of the longest reigning Kages over all. Only the Sandaime Tsuchikage had served for longer, but that was only because of Hiruzen's retirement and appointment of Minato Namikaze as the Yondaime Hokage. Though a peaceful man by nature, his battle prowess, intelligence and innate talent had earned him the epithet of Shinobi no Kami (God of Shinobi). Despite only officially mentoring one squad of ninja who would later become known as the Densetsu no Sannin (Legendary Three Ninja), his wisdom and benevolence had guided many a shinobi, earning him the moniker of the Professor.

He was old, nearly pushing into his mid-sixties already, yet the spark of strength and intelligence in his brown eyes were still clearly visible. Although he had lost some of the physical strength and stature of his prime, he still had a large enough chakra reserve to decimate entire battlefields. Garbed in his full-length red kimono, white sleeved cloak and Hokage hat, he still carried himself with the grace and command of men decades his junior.

So it goes without saying, it would take one massive conundrum, the type that would make even Orochimaru scratch his head in confusion before abruptly giving up, to puzzle the old man.

"So you mean to tell me... that a five-year-old civilian child… outran a squad of my best shinobi?"

Like having to hear from the squad of his elite ninja that they were outrun by a five-year-old civilian. He doubted even Orochimaru could figure this one out. The sick bastard would probably want to dissect the young boy before killing the outran shinobi in the worst possible way, now that he thought about it.

_"I'm getting too old for this shit. Minato. Why did you have to die?"_

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Only years of politicking kept the annoyed twitch of his eyebrow at bay. Either his shinobi were slacking due to the relatively extended period of peace they were experiencing, or the child wasn't your typical civilian. He seriously hoped, for his ANBU's sake, that it was the latter. Speaking of said child, he gave an amused glance in the direction of the ANBU Tatsumaki's fourth and only female member, seated on a couch in the corner of the Hokage office with Naruto in her lap.

_"Five years old and already attracting female attention. Your father would be so proud. And your mother would be irate beyond reasoning."_

"And you are sure it wasn't a genjutsu?" He had to ask, just to make sure. After all, he didn't become the Shinobi no Kami by being an idiot.

"Hai, Hokage-sama. Uzumaki-san could sense us, even when we were disguised under genjutsu and suppressed our chakra."

Now that was surprising. He knew many Uzumakis were sensors, but even they would have a hard time picking out the chakra of ANBU-level infiltration specialists who have their chakra suppressed.

"Neko-kun."

"Hai, Hokage-sama?" Though the young girl now stood at attention, she still held the poor blond in her arms as if he was her pet dog.

"Could you please put down Naruto-kun?" Even though she could give her version of the report without having to stand up or let go of the boy, he wanted to do the little tyke a solid. He didn't think his cheeks would be able to survive any more pinches and petting. Although she complied after a moment of hesitation, which astounded him given the ANBU's strict adherence to following orders from higher ups, he could still see the disappointment in her body language.

_"I take it back. You poor, poor boy. Just wait until she tells her friends about you."_

He gave a grandfatherly smile at the young boy, reaching out and petting his head as he neared.

"Thanks a ton, Hokage-jiji! Neko-chan is evil." He chuckled quietly as the young blond hid himself behind his chair. "She wouldn't leave me alone."

"Oh ho? And what have you done to get her attention?" To his amusement and curiosity, the boy blushed and scratched the back of his head. "Neko-kun? What did he do?"

When she started fidgeting, he didn't need the Byakugan to know that she was blushing underneath her mask as she approached the young boy behind his chair. As she reached to cup for his cheeks, he had to fight down the smile that threatened to split his face in two.

_"Oh ho ho. So young yet so-"_

_Purrrrrr._

_"Never mind."_

Hiruzen could only sit back and watch as Neko rubbed Naruto's whiskered cheeks over and over again with her thumbs, making the young boy purr like a cat.

_"Or a fox."_

"Thank you for that demonstration, Neko-kun." He knew, without a doubt, that the young girl was holding herself back from glomping the poor boy. Turning to his de facto grandson, he had to bite back a proud smile when he saw the boy's eyes follow the purple haired ANBU like a lost puppy. Only five years old and already looking at girls. His godfather would be so proud. "Naruto-kun?"

"Yea, jiji?" The boy's head snapped around and looked at him with such an innocent expression, he was almost inclined to believe his grandson wasn't just admiring Neko. _Almost_.

"How did you use your chakra?" The boy tilted his head to the side and blinked, as if confused by what he was saying before shrugging happily.

"I don't know, jiji! I just do! With me using my chakra, that means I'm one step closer to taking that hat from you-ttebayo!"

"Of course you are, Naruto-kun." He laughed heartily. If only it was that fucking easy, then he wouldn't still be wearing this goddamned hat. He was ready to question the boy some more on his use of chakra when Naruto's own question left him confused.

"Jiji? How come there are only four ANBU in the room? I thought you had five people around my apartment?"

Five ANBU? All ANBU operate in four-man cells, usually two senior officers and two junior members who have either recently joined or require more field experience.

_"Danzō."_ That fifth ANBU Naruto sensed must have been a member of the Foundation.

He was just about to question the boy further on the subject when Naruto turned towards the door to the Hokage's office. Not a second later, a knock was heard.

"Hokage-sama? Danzō Shimura requests an audience with you."

_"Saw that one coming."_ He turned towards his ANBU, dismissing them with a wave of his hand. The four ninjas immediately bowed and disappeared from view, taking up special posts within his room normally intended for his personal ANBU guards.

"Naru-" When he turned around to address the boy, he was more than a little surprised to see the boy gone from his spot behind his chair. Taking a quick survey of the room, he couldn't find the boy anywhere.

_"How did he…"_ Hiruzen shook his head and chalked it up to one of the many quirks his grandson has.

"Come in, Danzō." The door was already opening by the time he'd called out to his advisor.

Danzō Shimura, elder of the Shimura clan. One of the first shinobi to ever be trained under the new village system at the end of the Warring States Period and a hard-right politician whose hardline policies would plunge the world into war. He wasn't a fool, not by a long shot, but the man's arrogance and hatred of all things not Konoha was rather narrow minded. Add that to the man's ardent faith that the only good shinobi is an emotionless one, Hiruzen has on his hands the worst political opponent in the history of Konoha.

The man's forehead and the right side of his face are wrapped in bandages, leaving only his left side, mouth, and chin uncovered. He bore a distinctive "X" shaped scar on his chin, a remnant of their days in the First Shinobi World War. His right arm was missing up to the elbow, hidden by the dark half of his kimono. A T-shaped wooden cane wielded in his left hand repeatedly taps on the wooden floor, a truly dreadful sound.

"Hiruzen. Has the seal weakened?"

Ah. So that's what the Root agent assumed Naruto's abilities to be.

"No," he stated, though he has yet to check the seal.

"Then care to explain why I have heard rumors about a young blond child running across the rooftops and pursued by your ANBU?"

Hiruzen, not for the first time, wished his _advisor_ wasn't such a piece of shit. His "rumors" are really just thinly veiled lies about having Root ANBU stationed at the boy's quarters.

"It would seem the young boy has a natural talent with chakra," he supplied, hoping against all hope it would satisfy the old war hawk. Rather than seeming pleased however, the old bastard seemed… discontent.

"I told you, Hiruzen. He should have been given to me, to be trained and molded into the perfect weapon for Konoha."

_"You mean the perfect weapon for you."_

"I've told you a thousand times before and I'll tell you another thousand times, Danzō. He will not become one of those emotionless drones!"

"You're a fool, Hiruzen," Danzō scoffed. "You are letting your emotions get the better of you. That boy should be trained, not coddled!"

"We have been over this before, Danzō. This changes nothing."

"You stubborn old fool!" If there was one thing Danzō was, it was stubborn. "Both of Kumo's jinchūriki are properly trained and fully synced with their bijū. If we do not prepare our own jinchūriki for the future, then the only possible outcome for Konoha is defeat!"

"I see your point," conceded the old monkey. "I will see to it that his talents are not wasted. However, he will never become one of your emotionless drones."

"You will regret this, Hiruzen."

Without any further words to be exchanged, the war hawk turned around and left the office in silence. As soon as the doors closed, the elderly Hokage ran a hand over his tired face.

"Annoying old coot."

"Aren't you an old coot too, jiji?"

A smile was brought to his lips with the innocent question as he looked at the now visible boy on the couch, seated in Neko's lap once more. "No, Naruto-kun, I am not an old coot. I am neither foolish enough nor eccentric enough to be an old coot."

The boy seemed confused by his answer. "What does acks… eck… ex…?"

"Eccentric?"

"Yea! That one. What does it mean?"

"It means weird, out of the norm."

"Well, don't those little orange books that you read qualify as weird?"

Blushing and coughing into his fist, Hiruzen denied those accusations, as futile as it seemed. "No, they do not, Naruto-kun.

"But they make you giggle like a girl and bleed from your nose!"

Already, he could feel the judgmental gaze of Neko and could see the disappointed shake of her head from the corner of his eye as he stared at the paperwork on his desk. The other males in the room, save for one blond child, could only offer their leader silent support as his dirty secret was revealed to those in the room.

"Perhaps you will understand one day, Naruto-kun." Hopefully not too soon. Should the boy discover those books, especially if it was through some action of his own, he greatly feared for his safety in the afterlife where the boy's mother awaited.

_"How Minato ever managed to survive his marriage long enough to die in battle is beyond me."_

"Oh." The boy seemed rather placated by the answer, only for an innocent look of pleading to take over his face. "Did you mean what you said jiji?! Are you really gonna train me-ttebayo?!"

Sadly, he had to deny the boy's request. "No, Naruto-kun. With the responsibilities in the village, I would not be able to properly train and guide you in the ways of the shinobi." The sad frown that Naruto gave him reminded Hiruzen of a kicked puppy. "However, I will assign someone to teach you."

"Yatta!"

Perhaps this was the opportunity he needed! This might just be the ticket to repairing the rift between the Uchiha Clan and the rest of the village.

"Taka?" Said ANBU dropped down from the corner of the room and landed in a crouch in front of the Hokage's desk. "Could you please fetch Itachi (Weasel)?"

"At once, Hokage-sama."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

_"Itachi?"_ Naruto was floored. _"Itachi Uchiha?!"_

He couldn't believe it! This would solve so many problems! The Uchiha Massacre, Sasuke's thirst for vengeance, maybe even dealing with that annoying old cripple! He honestly couldn't understand why Old Man Third didn't just use his ANBU to raid the bastard's Foundation. Maybe he thought they needed Root's strength in the time of crisis? They were still recovering from the Third Shinobi World War and the Kyūbi's attack on Konoha. Which was only five years ago, now that he thought about it.

"Itachi reporting for duty, Hokage-sama."

Taking a good look at the newcomer who had greeted the Hokage, he could note nothing out of the ordinary or would even signify this was Itachi. The only thing unique about this operative was the weasel's mask, bearing two red ears and an upside-down triangle that stretched down the mask's forehead. Jet black hair drawn back into a low ponytail was the only personal feature that could be identified from the ANBU's entire ensemble.

"Thank you for coming so quickly, Itachi-kun," came the casual reply of the Hokage. "I have an... unusual request of you."

"What would you ask of me, sir?"

_"Huh. I didn't know Itachi had such a soft voice as a tween. You'd never think that based on how deep that man's voice is later on."_

"I would like for you to teach young Naruto Uzumaki," the old man gestured towards him, "in the ways of the Shinobi. He has shown proficiency and understanding of chakra beyond that of a graduated Academy student."

If this young Itachi was surprised, he couldn't see it. "If that is what you wish, then I will comply, Hokage-sama."

The old man gave the young boy his old grandfatherly smile. "Thank you, Itachi-kun. I will be removing you from active ANBU status effective immediately. From now on, you will be paid for your training of Naruto-kun. I will pay for the equipment you purchase so you will not have to pay for it out of pocket. Please remove your mask."

_"Cool. At least our ninja gear won't be so goddamn expensive if Itachi buys them. Goddamn merch-"_

His brain ceased functioning as he watched "Itachi" take off his mask. Without a doubt, this was Itachi Uchiha. Though he was definitely a lot younger and his face was a lot less defined than the last time Naruto had seen him, there was no mistaking him. The two creases on either side of his nose were less prominent, given the boy's young age, but still noticeable. Itachi's - guess he should call Itachi "sensei" now - hair, not held back by his mask, hung down around his face in soft, spiky bangs, stylized by a ponytail.

_"Damn. Guess Sasuke-teme wasn't the only one with the good looks in his family."_ Without waiting any longer, Naruto bolted forward and hugged the ANBU operative around his midriff.

"Hi, Itachi-sensei!"

To his surprise, the would-be Akatsuki member he remembered as being a little distant, if not cold, gave a soft, melodic giggle. "Hello, Naruto-kun."

Just when he was about to run his mouth, in keeping with the child-like persona, his nose caught the scent of something that made him freeze. This scent was one he'd become uncomfortably familiar with during the Fourth Shinobi World War. His sensei smelled of _blood_.

"Sensei?" He allowed none of the apprehension he felt to seep into his voice, only child-like curiosity. "Why do you smell of blood?"

_"Blood?"_ Neko was confused. _"That shouldn't be. Itachi was supposed to be in between missions. Even if a mission was just completed, all ANBU operatives are cleaned and disinfected to prevent the Inuzuka and Aburame clan from picking up the scent of blood and foreign chakra. That means…"_

The conclusion that she arrived at made her rather… apprehensive.

"Blood?" Was the curious reply from Itachi.

"Yea! It's really nasty-ttebayo!"

Now, Neko was sweating _buckets_. "N-Naruto-kun? C-Could you come over here?"

The young boy ran over and stopped in front of her, the smile never leaving his face. "Yes, Neko-chan?"

Oh Kami. She couldn't believe she was about to do this. "Do I smell of blood to you?"

The boy curiously sniffed at her hands and clothes. If the situation wasn't so dire, she would have hugged him already. Kami this boy was too cute for his own good.

"Yea! Why do you smell of blood too?"

When Neko turned to him, her posture a mixture of fearful, embarrassed and upset, The Professor finally caught up to what was going on.

"P-Permission to l-leave the room with Itachi, Hokage-sama?"

_"Oh you poor child."_

"Permission granted, Neko."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Neko had already dragged Itachi out of the room.

"N-Neko-chan? What's going on? Why are you dragging me to the restroom?" Came the protests from his Weasel operative.

A tug on his sleeve drew him out of his embarrassed state. "Ne, jiji? Why are they going to the restroom?"

_"Oh Kami. What am I going to tell him? 'Oh, it's nothing Naruto-kun! You just revealed to the entire office and the commanding officer of two kunoichi their time of the month.' Like he'd even understand what that meant!"_ Giving the boy a more jittery version of his grandfatherly smile, he waved the boy's curiosity aside. "I'll uh… I'll explain it to you in a bit, Naruto-kun."

Suddenly, a very loud, very angry female scream tore through the Hokage Tower.

"FUCK!"

"'Fuck?' What does that mean, jiji?"

The old Hokage gave a dejected sigh. The muffled laughter of the rest of Team Tatsumaki was quickly silenced by a glare. He just couldn't catch a break this morning, could he?

_"Kagura-chan? Why did Neko-chan and Itachi smell of blood?"_

He'd expected an honest answer from the immortal goddess in his head. Instead, all he got was some embarrassed mumblings, something about a "blood moon."

_"Blood moon? Is that like Madara's Eye of the Moon plan?"_

**_"N-No, Naruto-kun. It is… It is when a woman has her time of the month."_**

_"'Time of the month?'"_

**_"Yes."_**

For the next ten minutes, the goddess in his head and the old Hokage did their best to explain the what, the why, and the how of menstruation. He was still blushing unresponsively by the time the two embarrassed kunoichi returned to the room.

"Naruto-kun?"

Eyes dazed and cheeks red, Naruto gave the old man a half-assed, "Yea, jiji?"

"Are you… alright?"

"I just… I just… ya know?" What was he supposed to say? He just yelled out _that_ _stuff_ to the entire office!

"Yes. We know," was Taka's amused reply.

Naruto, Itachi, and Neko's glares at the older male would have been more effective if it wasn't for the atomic blush on their cheeks.

_"Kagura-chan! Itachi is supposed to be a boy!"_

**_"Different dimension, Naruto-kun! Anything could be different. The only thing this universe's course that is similar to yours is you. This world's Naruto would have held the exact same ideals as you do."_**

_"B-But Itachi is a girl!"_

**_"Is there something wrong with being a girl? / Is there something wrong with being a girl?"_**

Instantly, warning bells went off in his head. _"No no no. Not at all, Kagura-chan, Kyūbi-chan!"_

With a huff, the Kyūbi went silent again.

**_"That's what I thought. Now go apologize to those two!"_**

_"Y-Yes, m-ma'am." _Kami, girls can be scary when they wanna be.

Without say another word, he walked up to Neko and hugged her first. "I'm sorry Neko-chan. I shouldn't have said _that_ out loud."

_"That's it, Uzumaki. Play the cute card and hope you won't get skewered before the day is over."_

To his relief, Neko just patted his head, though he could still hear the embarrassment in her voice. "It's alright, Naruto-kun. Just… please don't ever say it out loud again."

Nodding shyly into her stomach, he agreed wholeheartedly. Kami, this was embarrassing! Letting go of Neko, he gave the same treatment and apology to Itachi.

The old man would have smiled at the cute scene in front of him if it wasn't for the absolutely mortifying topic Naruto stumbled upon. _"Five years old and already broaching that topic. I guess you really weren't destined for a normal life, Naruto-kun."_

Finally letting go of the blushing Weasel ANBU, Naruto faced the old man. "Alright then, Naruto-kun. Itachi-kun here will be your sensei until you reach the age of twelve."

"Twelve?" Naruto asked, head tilted in confusion.

"Yes, which will be when you start the Academy."

_"What?" _The Academy was supposed to start at the age of eight, not twelve!_ "This dimension is gonna give me a headache, Kagura-chan!"_

Her giggling showed him, quite clearly, what she thought about the matter **_"Aw. My poor champion. Would you like me to kiss it better?"_**

Rather than be flustered like she thought he would be by the thought, the boy gave her a smile. Through their connection, she could feel the wave of genuine appreciation he had for her.

_"Please, Kagura-chan? My head's already hurting-ttebayo."_

She knew he did not mean anything risqué or even indecent, the sincere gratitude she could hear made her blush prettily. **_"Perhaps later."_**

"Normally, an apprentice, as you will now be classified as, could become a full-fledged shinobi as soon as their mentor deems them ready for service. At that point, they will be given a test, a variant of the genin graduation exam given at the Academy. But I would like for you to attend the Academy." The Hokage gave him a mournful smile, one that betrayed the old man's age. "Forgive an old man for his foolish ways, Naruto-kun. I know you are destined for great things, you always have been, but I want nothing more than to give you a proper childhood, to see you make friends and grow up as a child should."

At first, Naruto wanted to ask a regular apprentice's graduation, to go out into the shinobi world and make a difference, to save as many of his friends as he could without exposing them to the hell that is to come. But… hearing the old man's plea, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

**_"Accept it Naruto-kun. This will give you the chance to bond with your classmates, those who will one day become your friends and comrades."_**

She was right. Again. Taking the beautiful goddess's words to heart, he walked over to the old man and hugged him.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had expected a lot of different reactions from the boy. Demanding that he should be able to graduate as soon as his sensei wanted or scoffing and putting off the fact that he doesn't need friends were the top two he'd have his money on if he was a betting man. Walking up to him and _hugging_ him didn't even make the top one hundred.

"Of course, jiji."

A thankful smile spread its way across his face. Reaching down, he gave the boy a hug of his own. "Thank you for understanding, Naruto-kun." He would have preferred to hug the boy for a little longer, but duty calls. "Now run along with your new sensei, Naruto. I have a lot of paperwork to do."

"Alright, jiji."

Seeing the boy run up to his sensei and follow her out of the office with a wave goodbye brought a smile to his face and a warmth to his heart. Now, more than ever, he knew that keeping the boy out of Danzō's hands have been the best decision he'd ever made. The thought of an emotionless Naruto giving him a fake smile made his stomach lurch in disgust. That day, Hiruzen Sarutobi swore he would do everything in his power to guide and protect the boy he'd come to love like his own grandson.

Now, if he could get rid of all this paperwork, his day would be perfect. His fingers responded to his thoughts, instantly flashing to the Tora (Tiger) hand seal for a brief instant.

"Hokage-sama," was the warning he got from Neko, "please don't burn them. They'd only come back with a vengeance later."

Hanging his head in defeat, the old man got to work. What he wouldn't give to find the perfect solution to this crap.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Never in a million years would the young Uchiha prodigy think this day would go the way it had. Spending the early morning, long before even the morning twilight had begun to stain the sky, practicing her katas and honing her body to a razor's edge, she'd then helped her mother prepare the morning meal. Nothing fancy, nothing she hadn't done before.

Steamed rice mixed with soy sauce and a raw golden egg yolk. Fillets of grilled flaky white fish really helped round out the salty creaminess of the egg and soy sauce. However, her favorite part of the meal was definitely the miso soup and tofu. Just thinking back on it made her mouth water.

It had been such a long time since she'd had the time to spend with her family. Between the ANBU missions and the undercurrent of civil war brewing beneath the village's veneer of peace, she'd rarely had time to spend with her family. Her father, being the stubborn man that he is, wanted to see the Uchiha clan flourish, even if it means plunging the entire village into a civil war. He thought this would be the only way for the clan to extricate themselves from the shadows of the village.

She knew better.

Should her father and the clan's elders proceed with this plan, all of Konoha will suffer for it. The Aburame, Akimichi, Inuzuka, Kurama, Nara, Sarutobi, and Yamanaka clan would, under their allegiance to the village, fight to their last against Uchiha clan. The Hyūga clan, the Uchiha's bitter rivals, would seize the chance to eliminate the clan in its entirety. The combined might of their forces, even at their weakest, would still outnumber the Uchiha clan almost seven to one. Even with the might of the Sharingan at their side, there was little that could be done against such overwhelming odds. Out of the nearly two thousand Uchiha clan members, only about a thousand are a part of the active shinobi roster while also acting as the village's police force. Of those, not even four hundred members, her parents included, have their Sharingan fully evolved.

No matter how she'd played the scenario in her head, she could not come up with any plan or method that would lead to the ensured victory of her clan nor even the survival of the village should the coup d'etat come to pass. Even if the Uchiha clan won, which was, at best, improbable, the village would forever be weakened by the event. The village would then be vulnerable to outside threats, easy prey for Kumo and Iwa, who have been itching to even the score with Konoha since their humiliating defeat at the hands of the Yondaime Hokage during the Third Shinobi World War.

But those stubborn old goats wouldn't listen to reason! To them, this was a matter of pride. Anything else, like the survival of the clan, stood at the bottom of their priorities. With their leadership, everything she loved and held dear was in danger of being wiped out. That was not something she was going to allow to happen. She had to-

"Sensei? Are you okay?"

Her ire was temporarily abated when a tiny hand pulled on hers. Absentmindedly, she noted the shallow cuts her nails had left in the palms of her hands.

"Sensei?"

"I'm fine, Naruto-kun." She watched as he fidgeted, his left hand pulling at the hem of his shirt.

"You're not still mad about what happened with the Hokage are you?" Her face betrayed none of the shock she felt as he looked up at her, bright blue eyes shining with apprehension. Kami, this boy's eyes are so expressive. It felt like she was staring into his very soul!

His question made her cheeks flush, though barely, remembering the events that had taken place in the Hokage's office. "No, Naruto-kun. But please, don't ever tell anyone about what happened, okay?"

Apparently, the poor boy was just as embarrassed as she was, his cheeks turning bright red as he averted his eyes from hers. "Mmhmm."

The barest hint of a smile graced her lips as she stopped walking, cueing the boy to do the same. "We're here."

They stood before the wooden gates and painted walls of a relatively modest home. The green roof tiles contrasted brilliantly against the red leaves of the maple trees. The quaint two-story house was well maintained, beautiful in its elegance and welcoming in its simplicity. The soft white paint of the wall surrounding the home blended smoothly with the grey stone foundation underneath.

"Uh… where are we, sensei?"

"Home."

Just as the word left her lips, a tiny projectile slammed the wooden gate open and collided with her stomach.

"Nee-chan!" A concussive "oof!" of air left her lungs as her little sister slammed into her. With practiced ease, she ran her hand through her little sister's hair.

"Hello, little imōto." Bracing her hands against her little sister's shoulders, she gently pulled her back. "I have someone for you to meet! This is Naruto Uzumaki." Turning to the side, she tried to show her sister her little blond student, only to see the boy in a nearly catatonic state. "Naruto-kun?"

…

**_"Naruto-kun?"_**

…

When her champion refused to respond, she approached the young man's avatar in his mindscape. Shaded beneath the leaves of his world tree, the young man stared straight ahead, unseeing, unthinking. Waving her hands in front of his face, she got no response. Poking him in his cheek gave her the same lack of response. A poke on his nose. A pinch on his cheek. A zap to his hand.

Nothing.

Much like her champion, his mindscape reflected his current condition. Though the sky was bright and cloudless, there was no sun. A strange phenomenon, to be sure, but this was a world that reflected his soul. It did not have to obey the laws of physics nor reality. All around, the world sat shockingly still, devoid of sound and wind.

**"Oh, what am I going to do with you?"**

A kiss? Kagura's cheeks flushed as she spent just a little too long thinking about it. Darting a glance at the statuesque blond, her eyes focused on his lips. Those slightly chapped lips that had taken her first kiss. Shaking her head vigorously, she tried to get her mind away from such… indecent activities and towards the more pressing matters at hand.

**_"But a free kiss,"_** her rebellious mind supplied.

**"I can get a kiss from Naruto-kun anytime I want,"** she fought back.

**"Can you now?"**

Whatever worries Kagura had about the unresponsive jinchūriki went out the window. That voice!

**"Hello, Kagura-chan." **She whirled around, coming face-to-face with her elder sister, whose arms were folded beneath her bust, an unimpressed glare leveled on her. **"You're only rubbing it in now, aren't you? So damn proud about how you got a kiss from him first."**

**"I didn't mean it like that, Nee-chan!" **Oh Mother. Please. Not another torture session.

**"Then what did you mean by it?"**

Blushing profusely, Kagura could no longer meet her sister's gaze head on. **"I… I just meant that… he wouldn't deny me a kiss if I asked him."**

**"How certain are you? And what if I kissed him? Huh?"**

Her sister was a pretty level-headed goddess. She had to be. It was a part of her job as the Goddess of Fate. But when it came to her champion, she was irrational beyond… well… beyond reason, as redundant as that sounds. Her sister was either falling in love, had taken an unhealthy interest in her champion, or has a stalking problem. Probably some combination of those. The last two were kind of similar now that she thought about it.

**"You know I wouldn't be able to keep you from kissing him!"** She shot back hotly. **"That is if you ever worked up the courage to even talk to him!"** Ouch. A low blow, but it had to be done if her sister ever wanted to properly speak to their champion.

The glare in her sister's red eyes turned… weak. _Vulnerable_.

**"How could I, Kagura-chan?"** Her voice was so soft, so quiet, Kagura feared her sister would start crying. **"You haven't seen what I have. You haven't watched over him. You haven't seen what he's done over a thousand dimensions and a million lifetimes. Every life he's led, he did everything he could. Sometimes, he would give into the hatred of his other half. Sometimes, he becomes the villain, the monster in the night. But for every time that he fell into the darkest pits of hell, another version of him would bear the weight of his entire world without fail. He has seen the best and worst of humanity. He had _become _the best and worst of humanity."**

Miko's eyes, teary and unguarded, never left Kagura's own eyes. **"Tell me, little sis. How do I approach someone like that?"**

**_"By our Mother. She's fallen. HARD."_** Giving her older sister an understanding smile, Kagura didn't hesitate to embrace her older sister. **"Baka. You're overthinking it."**

**"H-How?"**

**"You're not supposed to see him like that,"** Kagura chastised. **"Naruto wouldn't want you to see him like that."**

**"T-Then what am I supposed to see him as?" **Miko sobbed against her sister's shoulder. **"How can I not see him like that?"**

Kagura knew she was going to regret doing this for her sister. She knew what she was about to say was going to eat into her time with her champion, but she couldn't leave her sister so distraught.

**"Spend some time with him. Speak with him. Then, you'll come to see him as Naruto Uzumaki. The _real _Naruto Uzumaki." **Pulling away from her sister, she gave the sniffling goddess a smile. **"Come on. Want me to introduce you two?"**

Surprisingly, her sister declined. **"Not right now, Kagura-chan. He looks like he has a lot on his mind."**

Truer words have never been spoken. **"Poor boy. I think this world's Sasuke just broke him."**

Giving her older sister a hug, Kagura gave her another chance to meet Naruto. **"Why don't you drop by tonight? We could introduce the two of you then."**

**"Thank you, Kagura-chan." **The grateful smile on Miko's face was more than worth the trepidation she felt at losing personal time with Naruto. With that, her sister left, a little better, a little happier than when she'd arrived.

**"Now how do I wake you up?"**

Pacing back and forth in front of Naruto, she finally came up with an idea that just might work. Leaning closer to her champion, she whispered the magic words

**"Free Ichiraku ramen."**

"Where?!"

Awakened by those three words, his head whipped back and forth as he looked for the aforementioned meal. Only the sound of her giggling gave him pause. Realizing that he was in the depths of his mind, his elated smile turned into a sour frown.

"Kagura-chan," he whined, "that's not cool-ttebayo."

Her giggling seemed to bolster his spirits however, as his bright, beautiful smile returned. Unbidden, a smile of her own graced her lips.

**_"This boy and his smiles,"_** she thought.

His smile left as soon as it arrived, replaced by a panicky expression best described as a man whose entire world view was just flipped upside down, burned to ashes and pissed on.

"K-Kagura-chan! You have to send me back-ttebayo!"

She could only blink in confusion at the sudden change. **"Back where?"**

"Back to my first dimension! This isn't right! Sasuke's a _girl_-ttebayo!" Suddenly, his face turned a putrid shade of green, as if just saying that had turned his stomach inside out. "Ooh. I think I'm gonna be sick."

**"Oh, don't be like that Naruto-kun." **Adopting a thinking pose, she delicately tapped her index finger on her chin. **"Didn't you lose your first kiss to Sasuke?"**

"Don't mention that!" Two rivers of tears ran down his cheeks as what he considered to be his greatest shame was brought to the surface. "It was stupid Kiba-teme's fault! It was an accident! "

**"Exactly! So if you stay here, then your first kiss would be with a girl Sasuke and not a boy Sasuke!"**

Instead of happiness or a contemplative gesture, all she got from the blond champion was a look of pure incredulity. "Did you even hear yourself Kagura-chan?! A girl Sasuke? A boy Sasuke? IS THERE SUPPOSED TO BE ANY OTHER FORM OF SASUKE?!"

**"Well sorry for trying to make you feel better!"** Annoyed by the idiot's staunch support of his dear old Sasuke being a boy, she turned away from him. Inside, however, she was panicking.

**_"Why is he so against the idea of Sasuke being a girl?! Is he… gay?" _**Kagura's already pale skin _blanched._ **_"Kaa-sama. Please don't let that be true. Miko-nee-chan would never let me live this down."_**

Turning around, she asked the million dollar question. **"Naruto-kun? Are you… gay?"**

"WHAT?! NO! I'M NOT!" His arms flailed energetically, as if physically denying the claim.

She fidgeted slightly. **"Is that why you… you do not want Sasuke to be a girl?"**

"I-"

**"It is… acceptable if you are… you know…"**

"You-" He pointed at her, face caught somewhere between scared white and embarrassed red.

**"I am not judging you if that is what you fear."**

"We kissed-ttebayo!"

**"I know, I know you and Sasuke kissed, but-"**

Her argument came crashing down when Naruto's lips silenced her own. Too shocked by the sudden turn of events, she couldn't properly respond to the liplock before he'd already pulled away, his cheeks stained in a crimson blush.

The first kiss that he'd ever given willingly.

"I-I meant _w-we_ kissed. I-I'm not gay-ttebayo."

Oh boy is he not! Never before has she been so damn glad to be wrong! Although the kiss was only meant to prove a point, that he was - _is _\- straighter than an arrow, it was still the first kiss he had given her. Realizing that her cheeks were painted in a blush of their own, Kagura touched her lips. The subtle tingling was simply… pleasant. It left her feeling warm and fuzzy, a strange sensation that reminded her of standing beneath the all-encompassing warmth of the Sun.

"K-Kagura-chan?"

**_"It was just a kiss,"_** she thought. **_"It should not be affecting me this much."_**

"Kagura-chan?" She was snapped out of her trance by a timid, blushing Naruto. "Are you… are you mad at me?"

**_"He thinks I would be mad at him for kissing me,"_** she thought, incredulous at the idea after she had kissed him. Twice.

With all that she had seen him accomplish, she almost forgot about Naruto's disposition. Behind his accomplishments, behind the world's youngest Sage, behind the war hero… he's still a boy.

An orphan.

Beneath the iron will, beneath the power, and altruism… he was still that lonely orphan, seated on a bench park, watching as other families frolic and play in the sun.

He knew who his parents were. He knew they loved him with all their heart, going so far as to sacrifice their very lives so that he may have a life of his own.

But that could only do so much to alleviate the loneliness that plagued him every second of his life.

**_"You will never have to suffer alone anymore. This, I swear on my very life."_**

Taking a half-step forward, she invaded his personal space much like he did to her for that kiss. However, rather than kissing him, she simply leaned her head against his shoulder.

**"No, Naruto-kun. I'm not mad at you."**

Wrapping her arms around the young man, she did her best to ignore the pang of hurt that his stiffness and reluctance caused her. With the promise she had made to him at the forefront of her thoughts, the goddess reaffirmed it within her mind: she would do everything in her power to make him happy.

To her well-hidden delight, his arms hesitantly wrapped themselves around her waist. Adjusting herself, she gave a gentle smile as her nose took in his unique scent. A mix of earth, wind, flora and musk.

She whispered her thoughts into his neck, just loud enough for the blushing teen to hear. **"I liked it."**

The sound of a stunned, sputtering teen and what she thought was a steaming kettle made her smirk victoriously. **_"Payback."_**

Taking her head off of his shoulder, she gave him a peck on the corner of his mouth, taking just a little too much enjoyment in the way his eyes widened and his cheeks reddened as puffs of steam rushed out of his ears. **_"Ah. So that's what the steaming kettle was."_**

**"Go on out there, my champion. You are worrying a couple of young ladies."**

Giving him no time to respond, she forcibly kicked his conscious mind out of his own mindscape. Somewhere at the back of her head, she realized the irony of the action, but paid it no mind. After all, she was too busy basking in the warmth left behind by her champion. Sitting down at the shaded, grassy base of the Shinju, she leaned against its smooth, whorled bark. She closed her eyes and smiled as a warm wind blew across the landscape. She swore, she could feel the balmy eddies of wind caressing her cheek, prompting her to shudder as a shaky breath left her lips.

Her cheeks dusted pink and her eyes unfocused, she gazed out over the mindscape of her champion. **_"What are you doing to me, Naruto Uzumaki?"_**

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Blinking rapidly, the first thing Naruto saw was the worried and curious glances of the two black-haired sisters. Suppressing an instinctive shudder at the thought of a female Sasuke, he gave his usual bright smile and scratched the back of his head.

"Sorry! I was thinking about lunch."

Luckily, his stomach growled to corroborate his lie. And by "growled," he meant "thundered like a rampaging bijū." No disrespect to the actual bijū in his gut.

Rather than the shock or disgust he expected to see on their delicate faces, the two sisters giggled. "Come on then Naruto-kun. You could have lunch with us." The taller girl gestured to the little half-pint hugged around her waist. "This is my little imōto, Satsuki Uchiha."

Sadly, Naruto noted, even the little half-pint was taller than he was. She was dressed in a simple pair of shorts and black shirt with the red and white gunbai crest of the Uchiha clan on the back. He would have mistaken her for a boy if it wasn't for the girl's long hair.

Taking that as his cue, he introduced himself, adopting a power stance and pointing a thumb at himself. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki-ttebayo!"

His totally bodacious introduction earned him a giggle from the younger sister while the eldest gave him an amused smile. Any further interactions, however, had to be put on hold as a gruff, male voice rang clear through the heat of midday.

"Satsuki."

The three youngsters turned their heads in the direction of the voice. The sisters, easily recognized the voice as that of their father's while Naruto took in the appearance of the newcomer. Long brown hair framed his face, parted down the middle and held together in a low ponytail. Wearing a simple blue kimonoshi (kimono shirt) tied shut with a simple purple cloth belt. A pair of grey pants that reached mid-shin and purple shinobi sandals completed the look. The man had a severe expression on his face, only deepened by his strong square jaw and the two creases beneath his jet-black eyes.

Guess he knew where his sensei got those features from.

"Otō-sama." His sensei bowed at the waist, a sign of deference and great respect for her father and clan head.

"Izumi." Huh. So that was his sensei's name.

Surprisingly, the man's scowl lessened when he said the name of his eldest child. Perhaps he was smiling, but he had resting bitch face? You never know. His hypothesis was neither disputed nor supported when the man looked at him, the scowl returning in full force. It didn't stop him from assuming the worst though.

The man definitely has resting bitch face.

"What did the Hokage require of you, Izumi?" Wow. Straight to business.

"What he requested of me pertains to the training of Naruto-kun," Izumi stated, gesturing towards him with an open palm. "Perhaps we could discuss this further inside, father?" Not surprisingly, Izumi's voice carried with it a weight and strength that belied its soft nature.

The Uchiha clan head nodded in his direction. "Will he be joining us then?"

The eldest daughter nodded. "If you would allow it, Otō-sama."

The authoritative male turned his attention back to the young blond. "What is your name, child?"

Though phrased as a question, he knew it was an order from a figure of authority. Keeping his hands to his sides and standing at attention, Naruto responded as respectfully as he could. "Naruto Uzumaki, Uchiha-sama."

The man seemed assuaged by his answer, as the man's scowl and body language relaxed ever so slightly. Kami. Talk about high-strung tension.

"Then welcome to my home, Naruto-san."

"Thank you, Uchiha-sama." Naruto bowed, silently offering a "thank you" to the heavens for his perverted godfather's lessons on etiquette, which had been drilled into his dense skull with the finesse of a sledgehammer. But since he's an orphan with no one to teach this sort of stuff to him, he's gonna have to pretend that he just mimicked Izumi's actions.

Troublesome.

Following the trio of Uchihas in to their home, Naruto couldn't help but feel inadequate when entering the house of the Uchiha clan head. Compared to his rundown apartment, the two-story house was the height of luxury. Clean, cozy and cool, the home represented the honor and pride of the Uchiha clan.

Dropping his sneakers off by the front door, Naruto couldn't keep his eyes from wandering as he took in the how absolute _immaculate_ the house was.

Man. He really needed to clean out his apartment.

_"Clones really are a blessing."_

"Dear?" A soft voice called out from the kitchen.

"We have a guest, Mikoto," Fugaku responds.

The sound of running water was quickly followed by the subtle, yet noticeable sound of footsteps. A woman in her early thirties stepped into the hallway. Her black eyes darted from face to face, only to settle on his. It was there, just for a split second, but he could see the shock in her eyes. Unlike the regular looks that he'd received from the civilians and more idiotic shinobi, her eyes held none of the hate.

She knows who he is. And he doubted it was his status as jinchūriki.

Long, dark blue hair reached the middle of her back. Spiky bangs farmed her pale, heart-shaped face. She wore a dull yellow apron over a dark purple blouse and plum colored skirt. Even though she looked the part of a traditional housewife, he had learned to look underneath the underneath.

This woman is deadly.

He couldn't quite place what had made him jump to that conclusion. It could be any number of things, from every measured step she took to the ephemeral grace of every movement. She is, without a doubt, a tried and true kunoichi. And, based on his track record with powerful women, that scared him.

"Hello." She gave an angled greeting bow. "I'm Mikoto Uchiha."

Grinning like a loon, Naruto greeted the Uchiha matriarch. "Hi! I'm Naruto Uzumaki, future Hokage-ttebayo!"

For a split second, something flashed across her eyes. Pain? Sorrow? He wasn't quite sure. It was gone before he could take a better look.

She smiled at him, almost motherly in the warmth she radiated. "Will you be joining us for lunch, Naruto-kun?"

Ducking his head down and nodding shyly, he responded. "If you will have me, Mikoto-sama."

That was the wrong thing to say apparently. Faster than he would have thought she was capable of moving, she leaned down in front of him. He only had half a second to wonder what she was doing before his cheek exploded in pain.

"Ow ow ow!"

Through the tears in his eyes, he saw the elegant woman pout as she pinched and pulled his cheek. "None of that '-sama' stuff. Mikoto will do just fine. I'm not as uptight as my husband."

From the corner of his eye, he could see the man's eye twitch at the barb. "H-Hai, Mikoto-san."

That seemed to placate her, though she wasn't exactly happy with it.

_"What does this woman want from me-ttebayo?!"_

"Hmm. I guess that will have to do for now." Turning to the rest of her family, the woman smiled as if she didn't just pinch his cheeks to hell and back. "Lunch is almost ready. Take Naruto-kun with you to wash up."

"Hai, Kaa-chan!"

He scowled and glared at the youngest Uchiha, who was still giggling at his suffering, as she dashed off towards what he assumed to be the restroom. Before he could yell at the little demon, he was pulled along by her older sister. To his embarrassment, he had to use a stool to reach the bathroom sink to wash his hands.

Ugh. What he wouldn't give to stop being so damn short!

Following the sisters into the kitchen/dining room, Izumi sat him down beside her at the rectangular dinner table. Satsuki sat on the other side of the older girl, happily swinging her legs back on forth as she waited for their mother. Fugaku, seated opposite of them, observed him with obvious scrutiny, something not lost to him and the eldest child. Thankfully, Mikoto's soft humming as she prepared lunch kept the silence from becoming too awkward.

"Naruto-kun?" Izumi's voice clearly cut through the silence, nearly making him jerk in surprise. "What did you do to make Hokage-sama notice your innate chakra usage?"

"Oh!" Time to keep playing the innocent card. "I just wanted to play tag with Neko-chan."

This grabbed the attention of both Mikoto and Fugaku, though they kept their intrigue and surprise hidden behind the mask of normalcy.

"Neko-chan?" Unlike her parents, Izumi kept her face free of masks, speaking with him as she would any five-year-old child. "Did she catch you?"

"Nope!" Ha! Like any ANBU could catch him if he didn't want them to. "I made it all the way to the big forest before she caught me." He then scowled. "She only caught me because I got hungry and stopped for food."

The tittering sound of her amusement made it past her lips. "And what did you eat then in the forest?"

He answered them like it was the most natural thing in the world. "Snake."

The sound of chirping crickets suddenly filled the air as all other noises faded away. _"I thought crickets only come out at night? What the hell's going on?"_

"Stupid thing tried to take a bite outta me. Ha! I sure showed it." He winced. "Meat's too stringy though."

A hand on his shoulder made him look up at the Uchiha heiress. "You weren't bitten, were you?"

"Nah. Neko-chan ran this weird glowing green hand over me and said I was clear."

A strange warning siren went off in his head, his sixth sense telling him that the feeling of imminent doom came from the man sitting across from him. Why was Fugaku staring at him like that?

**_"Do not worry about him, Naruto-kun," _**Kagura told him.**_ "He is just being an overprotective father."_**

_"Huh? What is that supposed to mean?"_

**_"Nothing. You would find out one day if you ever have a daughter of your own."_**

He bit back a snort. Women are so weird. He'll never understand them even if he tried. Like Hinata. Girl keeps fainting. Did it have something to do with her liking him?

The faint sound of a plate being set down on the dinner table drew his thoughts away from further contemplating the weirdness of girls. Thank Kami for that. He didn't think his brain was going to survive the trip.

"Alright. Lunch is ready."

Unlike Satsuki, who was practically bouncing in her seat with excitement over the mouthwatering homemade fare spread out across the table, Naruto waited patiently for Mikoto to take her seat beside Fugaku before picking up his own chopsticks alongside the heads of the family. Damned old pervert really drilled that into his head. He could still feel the phantom pain of his godfather's fearsome chopsticks smacking against the back of his hand. Perverted old bastard has a mean wrist.

"Itadakimasu!"

**Heyyy. I know. Really big fucking curveball with a female Itachi. Should probably put that on the summary. But whatever. Really didn't have any sort of inspiration for this so I made it up as I went along.**

**For some reason, I spent the longest time staring at the word "Root" like I had spelled it wrong. Brain not working apparently.**

**Anyways, tell me if you like it or not, you know the drill: read, react, review!**

**Smile and have a nice day!**


	5. The Goddess of Fate

**Chapter 5: The Goddess of Fate**

Lunch was surprisingly peaceful. Satsuki, behaving like the average five-year-old, completely hated the idea of eating vegetables, pushing them aside on her plate. Naruto, on the other hand, ate his without complaint. How could he complain when they actually taste _good_? Mikoto, Kami bless her cooking skills, actually makes edible veggies!

He could not stress that enough. Her. Veggies. Are. EDIBLE.

Thank every deity out there. Maybe he won't be such a midget this time around.

"Satsuki! Eat your vegetables instead of pushing them to the side!" That would be Mikoto telling her to eat those veggies. For the thirteenth time. "Naruto! Eat your- eh?!"

"Finished!"

He wish he had a camera. What he wouldn't give to capture the look of shock on Mikoto's face when she saw his pickled daikon dish empty.

"Hmph! At least one of you likes my cooking enough to eat their veggies."

That only prompted Satsuki to stick out her tongue at her mother and toss a childish glare at him. At this rate, her face is gonna stick that way. Caught between an apathetic Naruto and a petty Satsuki was Izumi, happily eating her lunch. Occasionally, she would pick out a morsel of food from the main serving plate and drop it on either his or Satsuki's bowl.

It was such an older sister thing to do that he accepted every bite without complaint.

Polishing his bowl squeaky clean, Naruto didn't have to be asked to help the Uchiha matriarch clean up while Fugaku and Izumi retired to his office to discuss matters, most likely about his apprenticeship. Taking up one side of the amazing woman who could make veggies taste good, while Satsuki took the other, they helped dry the dishes after she washed them before stacking them in the drying rack.

Stools are a bloody godsend.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun." She petted his golden spikes, giving him a smile that could only be described as motherly.

Scratching the back of his head in embarrassment, he smiled at her. "It's nothing, Oba-chan (auntie)."

Giving him an affectionate pinch of his cheek for his troubles, she led him and Satsuki to the back of the house, to relax at the edge of the koi pond while they waited for Fugaku and Izumi to join them. Through the entire trek to the back garden, he could feel Satsuki's glare in the side of his head as they walked behind her mother.

What, did she think he was here to steal her mom away?

Ignoring her petulant glower, he veered away from the mother-daughter duo and sat beneath the shade of a red maple. Leaning against the tree and closing his eyes, he allowed himself to completely relax and settle, assuming the self-induced stillness required to gather Senjutsu without turning to stone. However, he didn't intend to attain Sennin Mōdo. His body, in its current state, would not be able to handle the tremendous boost granted by Senjutsu. The quality and quantity of his chakra, as far as he could tell, could still handle the delicate balancing act of attaining Sennin Mōdo, but his physical body would tear itself apart as soon as he tried to use the natural energy.

So, rather than committing suicide by a dumb ass decision, he allowed the natural energy to flow through him. He could feel the potent fire of natural energy as it flowed through his tenketsus, cycling it throughout his entire body without mixing it with his own chakra. It was an interesting feeling, like being lost in the eye of a storm. He could feel the world around him thrumming with power, hidden and unseen by the rest of the world.

Through his connection to the world, he could feel Satsuki and Mikoto off to the side. Satsuki's chakra was like a flame, a candle in the dark of night. Mikoto, on the other hand, was like an inferno, threatening to incinerate everything in her path. Further behind the matriarch, he could sense two incredibly powerful signatures.

Without a doubt, they were Izumi and Fugaku. And they were headed towards the koi pond.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Report," Fugaku commanded.

Seated behind his desk, the Uchiha clan head waited for his daughter to fill him in on the events of the morning.

"Hokage-sama requested me to become Naruto's mentor. I accepted." Izumi calmly stated. "However, I have been removed from active ANBU service and transferred to the jōnin roster. Any equipment I purchase for Naruto will be paid for by the Hokage."

"_Did Hiruzen know of Izumi's purpose for joining ANBU?"_ Only Fugaku's experience and mental fortitude prevented the apprehension he felt from showing on his face. _"However, with the jinchūriki among us, we have a far better bargaining chip against Konoha's elders than simply the threat of rebellion."_

"What are your thoughts on the boy?"

Izumi was neither surprised nor concerned by her father's line of questioning. "If what he told us is true, then he has an unprecedented amount of potential. To be able to access his chakra at such a young age with no one to teach him, outrun an ANBU unit, and kill a snake in the Forest of Death at the age of five is not something even the Yondaime (Fourth) Hokage could claim for himself."

The Yondaime Hokage, huh? Minato Namikaze. Prior to his death, there were many dissenters among the Uchiha clan of Minato's ascension to the position of Hokage, as it overlooked the Fugaku's own prowess on the battlefield and contributions during the Third Shinobi World War.

Tsk. Overlooked. That's just a nice way to put it. Rather, the village's elders had completely suppressed all information about his efforts during the war. He didn't mind Minato's rise to power. If anything, he respected the man for his prowess on the battlefield. It takes someone of great skill to kill over a thousand enemy shinobi at the age of twenty! No. What he despised was _how_ Minato's position as Hokage was practically guaranteed by the elders of the village.

Those old farts were students of the Nidaime (Second) Hokage, though Hiruzen's own philosophies and moral outlook closely mirrored that of the Shodai (First) Hokage. The Shodai, Hashirama Senju, believed in peace, willing to extend an olive branch to his rival clan, the Uchihas, in order to create the village both clans now reside in. The Nidaime, Tobirama Senju, however, believed Uchihas should be kept under close watch, should their thirst for power lead to the destruction of the village.

Clearly, the elders took after the Nidaime's political views.

Thankfully, Hiruzen had followed in his predecessor's footsteps and extended an olive branch to the Uchiha clan through one Naruto Uzumaki. Not as a sacrifice, but as a sign of trust. Fugaku could clearly see that. This was the old monkey's method of going behind the elders' backs in an attempt for peace and that was something he could appreciate.

The Sandaime's actions were reminiscent of Minato's own actions prior to his untimely death. After taking the hat from Hiruzen, Minato had immediately extended a hand of friendship towards Fugaku. Of course, both men were actually strong armed into talking with each other by their stubborn wives, but nobody really needs to know that.

How the cool, calm and collected Mikoto Uchiha ever became best friends with the hot-headed Kushina Uzumaki was beyond him.

Now, he has to deal with the elders and what they think of the jinchūriki being mentored by an Uchiha.

"Father?"

"Test him, see if he has any other hidden talents."

If he was being honest with himself, he was quite curious about the boy's abilities. His innate talent was incredibly similar to Izumi's own talents at that age. Now, with a proper mentor, his talents would only continue to grow.

"Come, Izumi. Let us join your mother and sister by the koi pond. It's been too long since we've spent time together as a family."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Naruto did nothing as Sasuke's counterpart glared at him furiously, not five inches away from his face. What's with this girl and staring at him?

Opening his eye just a crack, he looked at the curiously angry girl, only for her to give an audible huff and look away. Thinking nothing of the weird behaviour, he closed his eyes and went back to practicing his control over natural energy.

_Poke._

Cracking his eye open again, all he could see was a curtain of black hair. Satsuki, having anticipated his irritation, had turned away, somehow believing that he wouldn't know it was her. Knowing that he wouldn't be able to focus on maintaining his inner peace to practice his senjutsu, he gave up on the art entirely.

"Yea, Satsuki-chan?"

"What are you doing?" Damn. She's five and she already sounds judgmental.

"Nothing." It's not like he could tell her he was practicing senjutsu. That would only cause more problems.

"Hn. Weirdo."

Yup. Definitely Sasuke's counterpart. He wanted to tear the little princess a new one, but he couldn't without her mother doing the same to him. Maternal instincts and all that. The sliding paper door opened, revealing Fugaku and Izumi to the trio by the pond. Mikoto would tear him a new one if there was anything left after these two were done with him.

He doubted Fugaku would let him hurt his little princess in any way.

Did he even have to say anything about Izumi?

Satsuki took the opportunity to walk away from him, immediately hugging her elder sister and pestering her for some play time like she'd promised. Naruto's head swam as the sight brought about memories, though none were his own. Memories of a young boy playing hide and seek with his brother, of days learning shurikenjutsu and of nights spent beneath the stars together.

His heart went out to Sasuke. Even from afar and as an outsider, he could clearly see the love between the Uchiha siblings. To see what is basically Sasuke's love for his elder brother first hand gave him a better understanding of the avenger. To Sasuke, the massacre of his clan was the ultimate betrayal from the one he was closest to. Then he had to watch his brother slaughter everyone over and over again under **Tsukuyomi (Moon Reader) **for seventy two hours.

No wonder he was so fucked up.

Then, Tobi told him the truth. The truth about that night. The truth about Itachi's sacrifice. The truth about Konoha's manipulations. He knew, without a doubt, that the news broke whatever was left of Sasuke, of the innocent child who wanted nothing more than the approval of his parents and the affections of his elder brother.

His hands clenched themselves shut, his nails cutting into the skin of his palms.

_"I won't let you suffer through that again-ttebayo."_

"Naruto-kun?" Izumi's voice pierced through the fog of his mind. "Would you like to join us?" She gestured to the empty spot beside her.

A quick nod and short sprint later, he was sitting beside her and a pouting Satsuki, who is seated in her lap.

"Ow!" Satsuki cried, clutching at her nose where the older girl had flicked.

_"Huh?"_ Naruto blinked.

"Stop glaring at him, Satsuki-chan," admonished the older sister. "He hasn't done anything wrong."

"Hm! He has!" The pouting sister pointed a finger at him. "He's stealing you away from me!"

_"Huh?!"_

Izumi gave a quiet giggle and tapped her sister on the nose, causing her sister to reflexively wrinkle it. "I'm not leaving you for Naruto-kun."

Her sister huffed and crossed her arms. "You'd better not."

Naruto gave a pained smile as he watched the two siblings interact. This was something he never had the privilege of experiencing. Very clearly, they loved each other. If this sibling bond was anything even remotely close to what he thought Itachi felt for Sasuke, it was no wonder that he betrayed the entire clan to protect his brother.

And no wonder why Sasuke was so broken by it.

_"Maybe I can stop it this time,"_ he thought. He hoped so. His battle brother deserved better than the hand that was dealt to him. His family didn't deserve what happened to them.

His thoughts gently trailed off, lulled away by the calming rustle of the nearby trees and the babbling artificial stream that fed the family's koi pond. This was perhaps the first time he's ever felt so at ease with the world around him since his Senjutsu training on Mount Myōboku. The serenity of the environment seemed to even affect the usually morose Fugaku. He sat leaning against the house with Mikoto at his side, leaning against his shoulder. The Uchiha matriarch bore a subtle, tranquil smile, as if nothing was wrong with the world. Well… nothing was wrong with _her_ world.

He knew better, yet he couldn't deny the restful atmosphere. If given the choice, he would spend more of his time here. He wanted to be a little selfish, to live in the moment, and be free of the worries that plagued his every thought.

But he couldn't; war is coming.

_"No,"_ he contradicted. War was already here. A shadow war, hidden from the rest of the world. Hidden from the civilians and samurai alike, hidden from the shinobi, from the very shadows themselves. He was the only one that knew of the conflict, bubbling and boiling beneath the blissful ignorance of artificial peace. That is, until Obito "Madara" Uchiha declares the start of the Fourth Great Shinobi War at the next Gokage Summit in Testu no Kuni (Land of Iron) more than a decade from now.

_"Damn it, Nidaime-jiji," _he cursed. _"Why did you have to create the __**Edo Tensei no Jutsu (Impure World Resurrection Technique)**__?"_

So lost in thought was he that he did not realize that his chakra was responding to his hatred, tugging away at the chains of the seal. His tenant, however, was gleefully aware. The Kyūbi no Kitsune could no more read his thoughts than he could hers, but their connection through the seal allows her to feel his rage as if it was her own.

"Naruto-kun!"

His head whipped to the side, facing the direction of the voice that had called out to him. Though he was oblivious to what his chakra was doing, Izumi wasn't. From the moment she had called her protégé over, she had kept an eye on him, even when it would have appeared otherwise to an observer. Just a few moments ago, his chakra had manifested itself, though it wasn't the usual aquamarine she had been expecting. Instead, it was a captivating gold, flickering like flames in the breeze.

However, it wasn't the golden haze of energy that prompted her alarmed call; It was the toxic miasma of red energy that was slowly tainting her student's saffron power. Like her parents, she knew of his condition. Ever since he had sat down beside her, the chipper blond had lost some of his usual liveliness. He seemed upset, though of what she could not discern.

Was he… jealous?

It is a definite possibility, she admitted. As far as she and anyone else knew, Naruto was alone. For him to see her family together must have been painful for him. It was an oversight she lamented. She had expected sorrow, yes, even envy, but not the burning beacon of fury that would tap into the Kyūbi's chakra pool. As soon as his eyes were fixed on hers, the fluttering chakra ceased to flow, leaving him curious and as lively as ever.

"Yea, Izumi-sensei?"

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." He'd barely managed to get his words out when a small pebble smacked him right between the eyes, downing him in one shot.

"GAH!"

Izumi turned to her left, her eyes locked in a deadpan stare at the guilty party. Satsuki met her sister's stare with puffed cheeks, crossed arms and a huff.

"Satsuki! Apologize to Naruto-kun. He didn't deserve that," she chastised her little sister.

"No!" Satsuki was nothing if not stubborn. "He's just trying to hog your attention!"

"I'm not-ttebayo!" Naruto sat up, pointing accusingly at her. "Apologize!"

"No!" Kami. This one is going to be a pain in the ass. "You apologize first!"

"Why would I apologize?!" Naruto rubbed at the red spot between his eyes, willing it to go away. "You're the one who threw a pebble at me!"

"You're trying to steal my sister away!"

By now, the two youngsters were head to head, grinding teeth and sparking glares, while Izumi sighed behind them, exasperated.

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

All the while, Izumi could only giggle as the two locked horns. Her ears picked up a rather interesting conversation between her parents, almost lost to her behind the ongoing argument between the two five-year-olds.

"Does this scene remind you of anything, Mikoto-chan?"

Her father's cheekiness earned him a swat to the chest from her mother. "Hush, you. At least I didn't challenge a certain blond to a ramen eating contest."

"'_A certain blond?"_ Who could her parents possibly be referring to? A Yamanaka? Yamanakas were all consistently blond, but something told her it wasn't the Yamanakas. And what was this about ramen?

"Satsuki-chan." Her voice broke through their argument. "How would you like to train with me and Naruto-kun?"

Satsuki gasped in surprise. "Can I?"

"Yes, you can." Standing up, she made her way into the house, only stopping at the sliding door to give them a heads up. "Let's go see how good your shurikenjutsu is."

With that, Izumi left the two troublesome brats, whose expressions of glee at being taught something turned sour and glared at each other. Naruto was only playing along with his role as a child, despite the actual annoyance he felt at the youngest Uchiha princess. Satsuki, on the other hand, felt that Naruto's presence in her life now meant she had less time to spend with her sister, though that couldn't be further from the truth. Now that she had to train Naruto and transferred to a jōnin sensei, Izumi had more time than ever to spend with her sister.

Naruto sat down at the edge of the koi pond, turning his back away from the Uchiha family and stared into the eyes of his own reflection. Instead of the blue eyes that he had expected, his reflection smirked back up at him with black sclerae and ruby red irises. Naruto returned the smirk to his chubby cheeked reflection. Though they saw the world through two different lenses, they are one and the same.

Ever since he had connected with himself under the Falls of Truth, his thoughts have been clearer, unclouded by the undercurrent of hatred that saturated his subconscious. What was once a concealed corner of his mind is more accessible than ever. The dark thoughts came and went, but he felt no trepidation for the implications they brought with them. Yes, the thoughts were there, but he didn't have to act on them.

With that thought in mind, he plunged head first into his seal. The world around him faded away, the dull brick and dim light of his sewer-like seal replaced the bright red trees and shining sun light. The clear blue water of the koi pond turned a toxic yellow-green.

**"Back so soon?"** Her sultry voice made him shiver out of both arousal and discomfort. The Kyūbi he knew would never talk like this.

"I just wanted to talk to you, Kyūbi-chan." He waded through the churning water, smiling all the while.

This seemed to catch her by surprise, given the way her eyes widened and the subtle slowing in the sway of her tails. **"You wish to talk…"**

"Yup!" He sat down in the water without preamble, still smiling amicably at the noticeably confused woman. "What's your name?"

**"Hn. Do you think you're worthy of hearing my name, **_**ningen**_**?"** Though her voice was still as sultry and inviting as ever, it now held an edge.

Naruto scratched his head. "Ummm… yea? I mean, if you want me to keep calling you 'Kyūbi-chan?' That's more like a title than a name-ttebayo."

The Kyūbi said nothing in favor of staring down the young man with an expressionless countenance. Her jinchūriki gave her no quarter, however, meeting her stony gaze with a bright and inviting smile.

**"Perhaps one day, you will learn my name, but it is not today."** She'd expected him to be disappointed, even upset by her refusal. On the contrary, she was the one who got disappointed.

"Hmm. Okay! I'll just keep calling you 'Kyūbi-chan' in the meantime."

She held her tongue, annoyed by the boy's absolute lack of subtlety and use of such an affectionate suffix with her name. _**"Insolent brat."**_

"I also want to talk with you about our current condition," he started. "I know," he paused, seemingly gathering his thoughts, "that this isn't what you want."

_**"****Tch. Obviously."**_

"I… I don't want this either," he admitted. "I want us to get along." He raised his hands, waving them aside at the incredulous look on her face. "I don't mean we have to be friends right away! But… I want us to work together."

**"Work... together…"** The Kyūbi couldn't believe what she was hearing. Humans never wanted to work together with her. She was nothing more than a tool for them, a weapon to slaughter their enemies and raze their cities. Or a monster, a demon from the pits of hell, determined to lay waste to all they know and love.

Case in point, that accursed Uchiha bastard. Forty eight years ago, that pink-eye flashing bastard used his **Genjutsu: Sharingan** to use her as his trump card against Hashirama Senju, only to die at the hands of the Shodai Hokage. Then, that fucking long haired fuck's boyfriend had to get his red-haired bitch to seal her away.

She's been sealed away for forty eight years. Forty eight FUCKING years. All because some pale, dickless asshole couldn't get over his boyfriend getting married to a woman.

And now this whiskered, piss-haired, fake-tanned mother-

"Uh huh!" Her inner monologue and frustration was cut off by the aforementioned whiskered teen. "I want to help you get out of here."

_**"Right… and Madara-teme wasn't playing 'hide-the-wood' with the Mokuton-using cuck."**_

None of her thoughts and criticisms broke through the surface of her stoic mien. Her sultry smile was gone, lips pressed into a think line as she mulled over her jailor's extended olive branch. If - and that's a big "if" - her jinchūriki was being honest, then this would be her best bet at getting out of this damned seal in one piece and without wasting decades reforming from natural energy. On the other hand, and the more likely scenario, he was simply using her.

_**"****I'll play along for now,"**_ she plotted. _**"I've felt your rage, little human. We shall see if you can handle mine."**_

**"So what do you propose?"** She was wary, but also interested. If nothing else, this will keep her entertained for the foreseeable future, at least until she was free.

Her captor seemed to consider her words, cupping his chin and gazing up at the ceiling with a surprisingly thoughtful look.

_**"****You mean numb nuts came down here without a plan?!"**_

"Hmm. Just being friends - no, acquaintances - first. Then we can go from there." He gave an embarrassed chuckle and scratched the back of his head. "I actually don't have anything to propose. I… kinda just wanted to talk to you."

He… just wanted to talk… to the most powerful bijū…

_**"****What is wrong with this fucking human?"**_ Either he has a death wish or all that salty ramen has pickled his brain. Based on how cheerful and carefree he is, she doubted it was the first one. Which left her with the second and only hypothesis. _**"Huh. His brain juices are basically pickle brine. Who woulda thought?"**_

"Ah. Izumi-sensei is back. I'll talk to you later tonight, Kyūbi-chan! Ja ne!" And with that, he faded away from the seal, leaving the Kyūbi to her thoughts.

**"Tch. 'Kyūbi-chan.' Who the hell does this little fucker think he is?!"**

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Naruto-kun!"

Blinking rapidly to regain his vision, Naruto looked up at his sensei, who stood off to the side with her sister. She held several tool pouches in her hands, waiting patiently for him. Satsuki, though, was impatiently tapping her foot.

"Coming!"

The trio didn't have to go far to reach the shurikenjutsu range. One benefit for the Uchiha clan's relative isolation from the rest of the village is the surplus of land that could be put to use as the clan's private training grounds, much like the Nara and their deer. Thinking about what he was about to learn, he wasn't that thrilled about shurikenjutsu. Sure, the fancy tricks are pretty cool, but shinobi battles aren't really dictated by shurikenjutsu; they're dictated by ninjutsu, taijutsu and genjutsu. Despite his thoughts, he was still willing to improve on his shurikenjutsu. Not everyone in the world gets to train under the Uchiha clan, the best shurikenjutsu users he'd ever seen and fought against.

"Alright. This is what you call a shuriken and this is a kunai."

Sitting back, he half-listened as Izumi did her best to explain and show them the proper handling techniques for the blunted weapons. Unlike the sharpened blades of the real weapons, these training tools were blunted, but still balanced enough to be thrown by the shinobi-in-training. Their goal at this age, and during times of peace, were only required to be trained in blunted weapons. If their village went to war tomorrow, they would be forced to be battle ready by the time they were ten, used as cannon fodder for the jōnin and to flood the battlefield with sheer numbers.

Worse yet, as if using child soldiers as cannon fodder wasn't bad enough, the use of children on the battlefield might even cause some of the more moral enemy shinobi to hesitate. In their line of work, hesitation, even for a split second, is a death sentence. Maybe the genin will get a stab in, maybe a jutsu, or a jōnin will take advantage of the enemy's lapse in focus.

Either way, the use of child soldiers weren't that effective if everyone used them. They just increased the body count.

Naruto stood up with Satsuki, a handful of shuriken rested in his grip and waited for his sensei's sister to go first. Unlike the well-practiced, almost instinctual skill displayed by Sasuke, Satsuki's stance was a rough, but passable imitation of her sister's. She went through several throwing motions with the guidance of her sister, extending her fingers in the proper throwing sequence.

"And throw!"

"_I bet she's gonna get a bullseye. Damned Uchihas."_

With a yell of childish exertion, Satsuki tossed the blunted star across the three-meter gap… and fell short.

Naruto covered his mouth with his left hand, holding back his more aggressive guffaws and left his shoulders shaking in obvious mirth.

It just looked so out of place! To see this version of Sasuke _miss_ with shurikenjutsu, even when she's just a five-year-old, was something he never thought he'd see. Sasuke, to him, was skilled in practically everything shinobi. Ninjutsu, genjutsu, taijutsu, kenjutsu, shurikenjutsu. Seeing this young, female version of him out of her depth was simply confounding in the most hilarious way possible.

Finally getting his amusement under control, he threw one of his own stars, barely missing the bullseye. He wasn't surprised by the result. He never really focused on the use of shuriken and kunai as thrown projectiles. That was more Tenten's specialty.

Man. Now that he thought about it, how much time did that girl spend to get so accurate with her weapons? He has shadow clones at his disposal to speed up the learning process, so it wouldn't be too much of a problem for him. But for a civilian girl without the shadow clones' ability to transfer memory and experiences? He didn't even want to think about it.

"Not bad, Naruto-kun," Izumi congratulated him. "With time, you can throw more and hit more accurately."

She emphasized her lesson by throwing a handful of the training shuriken at the same target. To his amazement, each shuriken raced towards the red and white disc in several different paths before slamming against the target dead center.

_"Whoa."_

"Sugoi…" Satsuki whispered in awe at her sister.

The young sensei giggled and ruffled her little sister's hair. "Don't worry, Satsuki-chan. You'll get it with practice. You too, Naruto-kun. You'll need to work more on your accuracy and throwing strength."

He nodded and beamed happily at his sensei. He supposed adding shurikenjutsu to his belt wouldn't be so bad.

"Now get some practice in!"

On second thought, never mind. His arms were probably gonna be sore by sundown.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Flopping back onto his bed with a relieved sigh, he allowed his arms to limply flop beside him. His new sensei is a goddamned slave driver. Coming from him, that was saying something. Even with the powerful life force of the Uzumaki clan and the Kyūbi's chakra siphoning into his own systems, he could still feel his muscles spastically twitching in discomfort at being forced to perform the same repetitive action of throwing kunai and shuriken over and over again.

_**"****Naruto-kun? Could you come in here, please?"**_

Rather than answering her, he delved straight into his mindscape. Inside his mind and defined only by his mental processes, the sun still shone brightly in the sky above, bathing his world in its radiance. Kagura greeted him with a small, but warm smile.

"Did you need something, Kagura-chan?" He sat down against the base of his Shinju, letting the peaceful surroundings ease the mental strain of the hundred or so clones that had been dispelled in the Forest of Death.

As his clones had figured out, chakra suppression, for him at least, was possible, but not incredibly feasible for most circumstances. The act of suppressing his chakra, without the use of fūinjutsu, is mentally taxing. Comparable to the act of gathering nature chakra, if his focus slipped for even a second, his compressed chakra would rebound and force itself out of his tenketsus, destroying the surrounding area. Even though chakra suppression, for him, wasn't a necessary feat, he would rather have it and not need. Never know when you might need some extra stealth for a legendary god-tier prank.

The ANBU have been pretty lax recently…

**"Mm. Not need, per say, but there is someone I would like you to meet."**

Someone to meet? Introduced by Kagura-chan? That probably makes whoever they are a deity as well. With that thought in mind, Naruto stood up and dusts his pants. Better to make a good first impression. He'd already fucked up so many first impressions because of how brash he was… is. Strangely, Kagura seemed amused by his attempts to look decent. He didn't know that the person she was about to introduce him to has already seen him at his worst.

_**"****Does that mean she already saw him doing **__**that**__**?" **_The thought made her blush, but was shot down before the more curious part of her mind could fill in the details on that particular activity.

**"Naruto-kun, meet my older sister, Miko."** Kagura stepped aside, revealing a nearly identical figure behind her. **"The Goddess of Fate."**

_"They look exactly alike!"_ Naruto did a double-take at both the introduction and the newly introduced goddess. _"Well, not completely."_

His gaze was drawn to the red of her eyes. While Kagura's eyes were similar to the white lavender of the Hyūga Clan, Miko's eyes resembled the rippled crimson of the Yūhi Clan, whose most prominent living member is - or will be - Kurenai Yūhi. His brain, however, was caught on the title that Kagura had given her.

"'The Goddess of Fate?'" Shit. Did he owe Neji an apology the next time he saw the milky eyed bastard?

**"Not in the way you're thinking."** Kagura smirked. **"For us Primordials, Fate is as preordained as it is a product of free will."**

"Huh?" How could something be as predestined as it is random?

**"You underestimate the idea of free will, Naruto-kun."** She gestured to the woman beside her. **"But that's a story for another time. Come. My sister wishes to make your acquaintance."**

"Hello, Miko-sama." Uncharacteristically, he bowed to the goddess.

**"That's not fair, Naruto-kun!" **Kagura pouted. **"How come she gets the polite greeting?"**

"You pulled me out of the afterlife with no warning and a surprise introduction." Being around Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke for so long had really helped him master the art of deadpan.

"**H-Hello, Uzumaki-san."** Her voice was soft, nearly identical to Kagura's.

Upon hearing the soft voice, Naruto mentally groaned. He noticed the gentle blush on her cheeks, standing out prominently against her alabaster cheeks. Ironically, he was pretty sure this one is related to a certain Hyūga heiress.

"Mah! Call me 'Naruto.' 'Uzumaki-san' makes me feel old," he joked. The only reaction he managed to get out of the anxious deity was a subtle twitch of her lips.

Deciding that this conversation would go nowhere if her sister was so damn uptight around the blond, she gave her a push. Literally. One surprised yelp and a yell of concern later, Miko was held by Naruto as he helped her stabilize after the sudden start of motion.

"Kagura-chan!" He berated her. "That's not very nice-ttebayo." He looked down at the blushing goddess in his arms. "Are you okay, Miko?"

The elder sister had barely gotten a nod in when a pair of slender arms wrapped themselves around Naruto's stomach from behind. He could feel Kagura lay her head against the middle of his back. To his surprise, he didn't actually mind the gesture. If anything, he enjoyed the "physical" contact. It's much warmer and more comforting than even the Kyūbi cloak.

"Kagura-chan?"

As Naruto took comfort in the hug of her younger sister, Miko fought down the urge to push herself away from her champion. Out of all the other Narutos who have come, and those who will come, she felt the greatest urge to bestow this one with her blessing.

**"Yes, Naruto-kun?"**

Why? It probably had something to do with the competitive streak in her. Maybe even the jealousy she felt when her sister had rubbed in the fact that she got to kiss Naruto first.

"What are you doing?"

Slowly, Miko stood up on the tips of her toes, never moving faster than she absolutely had to, as if afraid that the slightest mistake would send him away from her arms. Thankfully, Kagura was holding him still and, begrudgingly, keeping his attention. Once she was barely a few centimeters away from the side of his face, she paused.

Although Naruto couldn't see her face, despite turning his head to the side, he could hear the smirk in Kagura's voice when she finally answered him. **"Distracting you."**

_"What?"_

A flash of white from in front of him made him look forward on instinct. A mane of grey hair filled his vision for a moment before he felt it. Miko's lips were sealed over his own. Once more, he felt a foreign presence ease its way into his body. This time, the power was more contained, but no less potent than the gift that Kagura had given him not twenty-four hours ago.

Miko pulled away from his lips, still blushing even as her blessed champion swayed uneasily in her arms. Kagura peeked over at her from behind Naruto's shoulder, her face a mix of concern and curiosity.

"I-If all your b-blessings are like t-that… then I w-wouldn't m-mind a few more…" Naruto managed to slur out as his body gave in, collapsing onto the grassy knoll.

Like before, Kagura dutifully sat down and placed his head in her lap, smiling amusedly down at him. Raking her hands through his hair, she gestured for her sister to sit down. Even in a dazed state, Naruto did his best to address the two goddesses.

"Y-You g-gotta give me more… more warning…"

The two sisters giggled. **"Sh. Sleep now, our champion."**

When they were sure he had fallen asleep and allowed Miko's gift to fully assimilate into his body, Miko spoke up.

**"May I?"**

Kagura didn't have to read her mind to know what she spoke of. Smiling, she lifted Naruto's head and carefully moved out of the way. Miko took Kagura's spot with silent anticipation, nearly shaking in her excitement to be so close to her champion. Gingerly caressing Naruto's head and hair, she gasped when he leaned deeper into her touch. Miko gave a teary eyed smile at her little sister.

**"Thank you," **she whispered.

Kagura said nothing, simply leaning against her sister's shoulder, further away from Naruto's warmth than she would have liked, but didn't want to disrupt his much needed rest.

**"So,"** she started. **"How was that kiss?"**

**"Kagura-chan!"**


	6. Passing on the Will of Fire

**Chapter 6: Passing on the Will of Fire**

Izumi frowned as she ghosted from shadow to shadow, using the shade of the canopy to mask her movements. There was something wrong with her student, she just knew it. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't quite put a finger on it. Whenever she was around him, her instincts constantly nagged at her, telling - nay, demanding - her to be cautious of her six year old apprentice.

She heeded its whispers without exemption. Her instincts have saved her life many a time in the field as an ANBU operative. This would be no different.

Even now, as she methodically searched the forests around Training Ground Six, she could hear the discordant voice of her sixth sense, telling her to be careful. Her sense of danger kept itself alive in the back of her mind, prickling her skin with electric fire.

He was close.

_"Left,"_ her sixth sense whispered.

_SNAP!_

_"Right," _her danger sense countered.

Unsheathing her tantō, she turned to her right and clashed against the slashing blade of her apprentice. Her leg lashed out in a kick, smashing her second attacker squarely in the chest. The injured attacker was pushed back and dispelled itself in a plume of smoke, only for another opponent to take his place. Flash after flash of steel illuminated the forest's darkness, reflecting the scant beams of sunlight that penetrated the dense canopy. Despite the overwhelming numerical odds, Izumi was neither panicked nor concerned. Naruto might be a genius in his own right, but so was she.

A blurring vacuum of darkness managed to draw her eyes away from her attackers for a split second.

_"Shuriken,"_ she mocked. _"Child's play."_

Without even activating her Sharingan, she danced away from her student's attacks, putting distance between herself and her persistent protégé. Lacing her fingers through the shuriken's center, she redirected the metal stars at her student's clones.

A week into his assignment as her student, she taught him the **Kage Bunshin** **no Jutsu**, hoping the technique's memory recall would allow her cute little student to learn and master her techniques faster.

She regretted her decision when they had their first training spar.

Even now, she hates herself for teaching the boy the technique. Case in point? The fourteen shadows that are currently chasing her.

_"Stupid Shadow Clones. Stupid, cute whiskered blonds."_

If it was any other mission, any other training exercise, she would have already slaughtered the clones and pinned down the little blond rascal. But she couldn't. The purpose of training him, of sparring with him, is to provide him with the experience that he would need to survive out in the field. This is good - great, really - for him. For her, who have to deal with the insane amount of clones he could spawn? Not so much.

Her eyebrow twitched as she saw another two plumes of smoke spawn off to her left.

In that moment, she came to one conclusion: she _hated_ the **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**. Never before in her line of duty had she ever hated a jutsu. As a ninja, she saw everything, and that means _everything_, as fair game, no matter how immoral or how cheap something seems. But now, for the first time, she despised the cloning technique and its creator. She could never hate her cute little student, so she directed her hate towards the man who created the damned technique.

_"Nidaime-sama had better hope there's no way to resurrect him or I'll give him a piece of my mind." _

For just a second, when she saw another plume of smoke appear to her right, she felt a burst of pride. Her little blond student, a mere six years old, and he's already a literal one man army. She couldn't be more proud.

Now if only she wasn't the one who had to deal with his bullshit.

Somersaulting backwards, her blade redirected each attack he sent her way. His kenjutsu, although more than passable and would allow him to hold his own against most opponents, was basic. He was, by no means, hacking and slashing like a barbarian with a butcher's knife, but his form lacked the refined stances of those who had turned the skill into an artform. Kenjutsu wasn't a high priority skill, but it was something to teach him, a fallback should he ever be forced to face a bladed opponent, excluding kunai.

Catching a kunai mid-flight, she turned and drove the sharpened blade into the neck of an overextended clone. Pulling back, another's downward slash barely missed the tips of her fingers.

_"He's getting better."_

With every encounter, every skirmish, her student seems to predict her movements just a little bit better. Even now, she could see the changes in the clones' behaviour. Before, their movements were somewhat unpredictable, some combination of what she suspected to be innate talent and her training. Now, every clone's attack seemingly changed on a dime. Attacks she thought were meant to hit were instead pulled away by the tiniest of margins, only to be replaced by flurries of unorthodox attacks from above and below.

_"Hm. His ten minutes are up…"_

Giving no warning, she turned the tide of battle. Rather than pulling back and away from her student's attacks, she moved closer to them. Weaving in and out of his attacks, she dove into the melee with knife hands and precise jabs. Each movement controlled with pinpoint accuracy, striking vital points and redirecting his sword strikes by pushing his wrists away. Her student might be a fast learner and a genius in his own right, but he is a long way from becoming her equal in combat.

Especially if he continues to hold back against her.

That thought made her frown for the briefest instant. Why was he holding back against her? Was he not taking her seriously?

No. That couldn't be. He's done everything she'd asked of him. He'd trained until he dropped, an incredible feat given his status and clan origins.

Was he simply making silly mistakes?

Yes? No? Perhaps a little of both?

That was something she'd noticed rather quickly. For the first week, all of his attacks, his movements seemed… short. There was no other way to put it. It was like his limbs were too short for what he intended to do. Every movement felt overextended. Now, three months later, his movements are smoother, much more coordinated and more fluid than she'd expected him to be, though she chalked it up to be the memories reinforced by his shadow clones.

Speaking of shadow clones…

Her kunai pierced through the last clone's ribs, slipping between the third and fourth rib with no resistance.

_Poof!_

Turning around, Izumi stared down her favorite, and only, apprentice, her face a mask of indifference. Standing before her, Naruto brandished his tantō and a kunai in his right and left hands respectively. Without a word, they dashed towards one another. Blade against blade, kunai against kunai. Strike after strike, she blocked and parried, letting no concern show on her face.

_"He's stalling, but what for?"_

Her tantō slid itself against Naruto's until the guards of the blades locked against one another. At first, what she assumed was a foolish contest of strength on his part became a deadly game of cat and mouse as she caught a blur of motion from the corner of her eye. Tilting her head backwards, she tracked the white blur of steel as it came dangerously close to her cheek and nose.

Hit-and-run tactics.

_"Clever."_

The clone that flew by her face wasn't the only one to flank her as another series of blurs around her forced her to push Naruto away, flipping backwards with fluid grace and perfect timing. She dodged every attack with the narrowest margin of error. Barely catching the briefest flash of black against the shimmering sunlight above, she watched, fascinated as the clones above spawned even more clones before throwing themselves down at her with unerring accuracy.

_"He wants to play, does he?"_

Smirking, her Sharingan flared to life. Her blessed eyes darted back and forth, tracking each human projectile and tracing out their paths with perfect clairvoyance. Replacing her kunai with a single kunai shuriken, Izumi loosed the deadly projectile. The dark metal star weaved its way through the barely illuminated canopy, headed straight for the clones above, though for none in particular.

Those clones never even had a chance to even breach the leaves above.

_**"****Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."**_

The single star multiplied until thirty stars filled the morning sky and tore through the squad of skyborne clones. The morning silence was soon broken with the sound of dispersing clones as her shuriken found their mark. Turning to the side, her eyes peered into the darkness, seeing the small pulses of chakra used by Naruto's clones to propel themselves at her from nearby trees. With her Sharingan active, their efforts could only lead to one outcome.

Death.

Grabbing the arm of a clone sailing past her, she spun and tossed him at another clone, adding in her own momentum to guarantee the dispersal of both. Another tried to come at her from a downward angle of attack. Death came to him as quickly as it had with the others when her tantō nicked his side. The resulting plume of smoke did little to stop the black haired prodigy as she continued to spin and dance with her tantō. With every swing of her blade, another clone fell.

Until only her student was left, something akin to awe and admiration in his blue eyes.

Sheathing her tantō, she charged at Naruto with only a kunai in hand. Slashing down with her kunai, blackened iron met with silver steel. Her hand snaked forward, stopping his left hand in its tracks and keeping his kunai away from her. Her leg slid forward, kicking out Naruto's legs and sending him onto his back, effectively pinning him beneath her weight. Swirling Sharingan faded to coal-black as she smiled down at her student.

"Yield?" Naruto sighed in response, his muscles going slack.

"Yield."

Letting him up, she giggled at the pout on his lips as he sheathed his tantō and pocketed his kunai.

"Oh, don't be like that Naruto-kun." She helped him dust and adjust his gear. "You almost had me with those clones of yours." Rather than comfort him, her words caused the little blond's pout deepened.

"Mou. You don't have to lie to me to make me feel better, Izumi-sensei." Naruto sighed, adjusting the scabbard strap on his back.

"Alright," she agreed. "But you did do a lot better this time with your tantō."

Naruto only hummed in agreement, seemingly lost in thought as the two tree hopped their way back towards the Uchiha District. Passing by several patrols of the Uchiha Police Force once the clan head's home came into sight, Naruto ignored the leers sent his way. He couldn't care less about them. Izumi felt the same way as she held his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Thanks, sensei." He returned the gesture, giving her a thankful smile.

He wondered how he had ever survived the first time around without the support of anyone in his life. He could still remember everything that's happened to him, but now, with the support of his sensei, he truly realized how alone he was. Satsuki, Mikoto. Hell, even Fugaku. They all gave him something that he _might_ be able to call a family.

"Nee-chan!" Running full speed into her, the young Satsuki tackled her sister's stomach with a large grin.

Naruto smiled at the sight. It's happened practically every day since he'd seen them and it never failed to make him smile. Leaving the two alone, he walked into the Uchiha Clan head's house and went straight into his room.

_"Huh. Still weird thinking about it."_

_His _room. He's had an entire apartment to himself, yes, but he's never had a room dedicated to himself. Not two weeks into his training with the Uchiha sisters, Izumi had taken it upon herself to move him into the house. The excuse she used?

"It's much easier for both of us this way. You don't have to travel across the village every day and I can supervise your training more closely."

He couldn't fault her reasoning, though he felt that Mikoto-oba-chan had something to do with it. Kami bless her heart. She is such a mother hen when it comes to anything related to him, yet he couldn't find it in him to be annoyed with her. He loved the motherly attention.

"Tadaima (I'm home)!" He called out at the base of the stairs.

"Welcome home, Naruto-kun!" As usual, Mikoto is in the kitchen, preparing lunch for the family. "I take it Izumi-chan is outside with Satsuki?"

"Yup! I'm gonna go change, Oba-chan." With her approval, he took off upstairs, towards the guest room that had become his own room.

It is smaller than his apartment bedroom, but he didn't mind it. Taking off the ANBU vambraces that fit snugly on his forearms, he placed them into the wardrobe after wiping down the armor pieces. Brushing his shaggy blond hair out of his eyes, he took off the scabbard's harness and rested it at the bottom of the wardrobe. Slipping out of his clothes, he took a moment to note the physical progress he'd made. Unlike the first time he saw himself in the mirror since coming to this dimension, he actually looked like a healthy child.

Well, "healthy" is a relative term. "Healthy" six year olds don't have noticeable outlines of corded muscle that ran the length of their arms. "Healthy" six year olds don't have the strength and stamina to wield swords for hours on end.

Throwing on a blue shirt - Izumi-sensei insisted he have blue in his wardrobe - Naruto gave the matter little more thought as another clone's worth of memories poured itself into his head. As he made his way to the kitchen, he shook his head, willing the sharp pain away and massaging his temples to alleviate the throbbing headache. Without a word, he pulled a stool up alongside the Uchiha matriarch and helped her cut the mushrooms and peel their caps.

_"Alternating pinwheel,"_ he recalled.

Mikoto glanced at the unusually quiet blond as she stirred the stock pot. At first, when she'd met the boy, she assumed he would be like his mother, a brash loudmouth with no filter between his brain and voice box. His first introduction gave the assumption some credibility. That was until she really paid attention to him. He wasn't overly loud or obnoxious in the house, subdued almost, but when he's out in the village, he's boisterous, loud and played the fool.

She could still remember the look of shock on the faces of several shop owners he'd pranked one day. Never before had the shopping district been painted such a lively array of colors.

"You've been pranked by the Future Hokage-ttebayo!" He'd proudly proclaimed.

The memory brought a smile to her lips. He reminded her so much of Kushina. Calling her a tomato was a sure-fire way to get the beating of your life, much like how scorning Naruto is a sure-fire way to get yourself pranked to hell and back.

Then there was the quiet side to the blond haired child. Calm, collected. His eyes were bright, far more intelligent than most children are supposed to be at that age. Her Izumi is an obvious exception to the rule, but she's a once in a lifetime prodigy. However, knowing who his father is, Mikoto wasn't too surprised by the spark of intelligence behind those eyes.

"Done!" She gently patted his head as he placed the basket of vegetable strips and mushroom caps beside her.

"Thank you, dear. Could you go get the girls?"

"Sure!" She watched him walk away, headed towards the backyard.

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she smiled as she thought back to the changes she's seen in the family since her godson had moved in with them. Izumi had obviously changed with the boy under her tutelage. She smiled far more often whenever she was training him rather than the blank mask of stoicism trained into her through the Black Ops training program. Strangely, she'd also seen her daughter look at the boy with the slightest of frowns and the tiniest of furrows in her brow, like he was some sort of puzzle she couldn't quite solve.

Next would be Satsuki. With Izumi staying home now as a jōnin sensei, she got to spend a lot more time with her sister. That's a definite positive. On the other hand, she's still rather standoffish whenever the object of her ire is in the same room. Strange. You'd think she would at least be tolerable of the one that got her more time with her beloved sister.

The most surprising change, however, had come from Fugaku. Ever since Naruto had moved into the house, her husband has been less and less morose. He's even cracked a smile while he watched Naruto try to help Satsuki with her training. She always shot him down, being the stubborn girl that she is, but Naruto never gave up and that somehow brought a smile to her beloved's face. Though, there have been a few times she caught him glaring at Naruto for holding hands with Izumi, which is absolutely absurd! He's six. He's not going to notice girls for at least another decade!

"And what is my queen thinking about?"

Mikoto gasped in surprise as a familiar arm wrapped itself around her stomach, bringing a smile to her face.

"Welcome home, dear." She leaned back against her husband, her hands never leaving the pot unstirred. "I was just thinking about Naruto-kun and how he's changed our family."

"Hm. He has livened up our home, hasn't he?" Though she couldn't see the smile on his face, she could hear it in his voice. "Just the other day, I saw him stealing Satsuki's vegetables and replacing them with his own eggs and fish."

She giggled, imagining the boy frantically swapping foods with Satsuki while she had her back turned. The image was far cuter than it had any right to be.

"And you didn't think to stop him because?"

She held back her a pleasurable shudder as her husband gave a rumbling chuckle. Kami damn him and his gruff voice.

"Because he would just find another way to do it. If Izumi's glare didn't stop him, as respectful as he is, he will not stop on my account."

"Tsk." He had a point. That boy had half of Kushina's genes. He will definitely have her rebellious streak.

The sound of the kitchen's sliding glass door, which led to the side of the house, opening made the couple look up. Izumi carried her little sister inside on her back while Naruto followed behind them, carrying the ninja gear Satsuki had been using.

"Otō-sama. Okā-sama."

"Welcome home, Fugaku-sama." After nearly three months of living with the family, Naruto had finally moved onto a first name basis with the head of the family, though he still added "-sama" to his name as a sign of respect and deference.

The man nodded, the barest hint of a smile tugging at his lips as he watched the three kids go about their business. His daughters went straight to the bathroom to wash up while Naruto went to put away the ninja tools. When Mikoto knew they were out of earshot, she whispered to her husband.

"I saw Naruto-kun trying to teach Satsuki-chan tree-walking last night." She nearly laughed at the way her husband's eyes widened. For Fugaku, that might was well be a yell of shock. "He would hold her hands and walk backwards up the tree, one step at a time." When she saw him frown, she smirked and lightly hit him on the chest. "Oh, don't be like that dear. You act like he's out to steal your daughters away from you."

"He'd better not be."

"Hah. If Naruto-kun's even half as dense as either of _them_, it'll be another decade or so before you'll have to worry about that." For the briefest second, Fugaku smiled, just the slightest widening of his lips. Minato might have been a genius in many aspects, but the opposite sex was definitely not one of them.

The two then watched as Naruto, eyes unfocused and unresponsive, walked back into the kitchen before laying out the bowls, dishes and utensils on autopilot. This was something everyone in the family had noticed almost as soon as he had started living with them. These moments of disregard have become commonplace within the household, so much so that Satsuki have attempted on more than one occasion to gain his attention through less than pleasant means, like trying to trip or even throw pebbles at him. Somehow, someway, he always managed to dodge her.

Needless to say, their youngest daughter has been aggravated to no end by the boy's inadvertent indifference.

"Have a seat, dear. Lunch is almost ready." Mikoto gave her husband a kiss on the cheek, a seemingly rare occurrence given Fugaku's private personality.

"Hm." There it is. At this point, that noncommittal hum might as well be verbal tic on par with Kushina and her son's. She just hoped Satsuki doesn't pick it up.

"Naruto-kun." She gave the boy a second to come out of… wherever he was, mentally. "Have a seat." Placing a hot plate in the center of the table, she placed the pan of sukiyaki on top to keep it heated throughout the entire meal. "Alright, everyone. Dig in."

"Itadak-"

_Knock knock!_

Rather than turning to the sound of the disturbance, the Uchiha family turned their gaze towards Naruto, their resident sensor and preemptive security system.

"It's jiji. I'll get it." Naruto sighed and slid out of his seat, though the family could still make out the boy's mutterings as he walked towards the front door. "Stupid old man, interrupting lunch." The entire family listened as the blond child confronted his grandfather figure. "Jiji! Couldn't you have waited thirty minutes until lunch was over? Mikoto-oba-chan made sukiyaki-ttebayo!"

If they were expecting him to be lectured by the old Hokage on showing him the proper respect he deserves, they would have been sorely disappointed.

"A thousand apologies, Naruto-kun." Amusement could clearly be heard in the old man's voice. "Tell me, my boy, is Fugaku home?"

Instantly, everyone but Satsuki was put on edge. Why would the Sandaime look for the Uchiha clan head?

"Uhhh yea! He's in the dining room with everyone else."

"That's perfect. I have a proposition that concerns everyone. May I come in, Naruto-kun?" It was phrased as a question, but even Naruto knew that it was an order in disguise.

"Yea, jiji! You gonna join us for lunch? Mikoto-oba-chan's sukiyaki will knock your socks off." He paused, glancing down at the old man's sandaled feet. "Well, you know what I mean."

"Since you offered, Naruto-kun, it would be impolite for me to refuse." No matter how stressful a day has been at the Hokage's Office, speaking to the blond jinchūriki never failed to brighten his day. "Ojama shimasu (Excuse me for intruding.)"

Naruto smiled brightly as he led the Hokage inside. He'd visited the old man every chance he had. He's still not telling him about the secret to paperwork.

If "The Professor" couldn't figure it out, that's on him.

"Hello, everyone." Before the Uchiha family could stand up, the old man raised his hand, smiling pleasantly. "Please. There is no need for formality."

"Hokage-sama." The restrained greetings of the Hokage had been expected. The embers of revolution are still fresh on the minds of the Uchihas. Only Satsuki knew nothing of the turmoil brewing beneath the clan's facade of peace.

"May I join you? I wish to discuss things with Fugaku, things that will affect everyone in this room."

"Please, join us, Hokage-sama." Surprisingly, to the old man, Fugaku seemed to be more amicable than ever, though it was a bit hard to tell given the clan head's poker face. Or "resting bitch face," as his little blond grandson had so eloquently put it.

Taking a seat beside Naruto, Hiruzen smiled as Naruto placed an empty bowl and chopsticks for the family's guest before pouring him a cup of tea. The meal would have been awkward had it not been for the hyperactive blond, acting as the social glue that held the group together.

"How has paperwork been, jiji?" Naruto couldn't help it. He just had to tease the old man. "You still suffering?"

"It's getting worse, Naruto-kun. I swear, every time I turn around, they seem to multiply!"

"Too bad there's no jutsu that'll help you deal with paperwork, huh?" He was going to milk his knowledge of the **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu **for as long as he could. Out of the corner of his eye, he could clearly see the twinkle of amusement in his sensei's eyes.

"Normally, katon jutsus are the bane of paperwork, but Neko-kun has been adamant that it would only prolong my suffering."

Naruto smiled as he thought about the purple-haired ANBU, of nights spent running along the rooftops and amongst the shadows with Tatsumaki. If only he could figure out who she is. Shouldn't be a problem given his current disposition and stealth capabilities.

Let's see if ANBU is up for a solid pranking tonight.

"Eat up, jiji. You'll need your strength to deal with more paperwork."

"Don't remind me, young man. Sometimes, I wish more than ever that Minato hadn't died fighting the Kyūbi no Yōko, if only so I don't have to pick up the hat once more." Hiruzen lamented the death of young man who had taken up the mantle of Hokage. "_And so you wouldn't have to grow up alone."_

"Yeah…" Naruto didn't know what to say.

His father had given his life to protect the village he loved and had done all he could to prepare his son for a war torn world that would have undoubtedly eaten him alive. Looking back on his past life, he was incredibly unprepared for the rigors of a shinobi's life. He knew that now. He knew that without Kurama, he would have definitely died much earlier in his life than at the Valley of the End.

"That's enough reminiscing about the past for now. How has your training with Izumi-kun been coming along?" Hiruzen hasn't had a chance to personally witness the progress his grandson has made since he has assigned Izumi to be his sensei.

"It's going great, gramps!" He smiled at his sensei. "Izumi's the best sensei."

"I'm your only sensei, Naruto-kun."

_"In this life, sure."_

"I apologize for any troubles he might have caused you, Izumi-kun." The old man apologized on behalf of his grandson.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean, jiji?" He's not always a troublemaker, damn it! "What are you doing here anyways? You're not gonna give the hat over to me are you?"

"Oh? What makes you so sure that it's you and not Izumi-kun?" The old monkey couldn't keep in his laughter as Naruto's face adopted the most horrified expression he had ever seen on the young boy. "I'm kidding. But that is something I've come here to talk about." The aging Hokage looked intently at Fugaku. "I wish to pass the hat on to someone who deserves it."

His face was a mask of indifference, yet Fugaku was quite shocked by the Sandaime's intentions.

"I have grown too old for this hat and the pressures that come with it." Hiruzen sighed, slumping his shoulders and allowing his true age to show. "I had initially chosen Minato to become my successor due to his battle prowess during the Third Shinobi World War and in hopes of preventing any future wars with him in power. With him gone, there is now a power vacuum within the upper echelons of the village. Even though I have assumed the mantle of Hokage once again, there are still forces amongst the shadows that move to secure the political clout left behind by the Yellow Flash."

He gave them time to digest the information, noting how Naruto had hung onto every word, taking in the information faster than any bowl of ramen the boy could eat.

"These forces will continue to move against the village, regardless of any attempts I would make to hinder its progress." The man looked down at his bowl, filled with small bits of tofu and sukiyaki sauce. "I have come to realize that I am obsolete."

"What?! No way, jiji!" Naruto quickly came to his defense. "You're still the Kami no Shinobi!"

With the patience that came with his age, Hiruzen patted the boy's head. "Thank you for your faith in me, Naruto-kun, but this old monkey knows when his time is up." His eyes locked with Fugaku's once more. "I want you to become the Godaime Hokage, Fugaku." He took a sip of his tea, mulling over his next words. "I know what the Uchiha Clan has been planning since the attack, though I could not fault you for what you felt was a slight against you and your family." He shook his head. "For far too long, my former teammates have hung onto Nidaime-sama's ideology, of keeping the Uchiha Clan separated from the village, but paradoxically kept on a short leash."

"And you wish to end this segregation against the Uchihas by making me the Hokage?" There was only a touch of disbelief in his otherwise droll voice.

"Yes." Hiruzen nodded. "You had initially been my first choice to become Hokage, were it not for your position as the head of both the Uchiha clan and as the Chief of the Konoha Military Police Force. With Satsuki being so young, I did not wish for both you and your wife to be entangled into the politics of the village, leaving her alone with no family to watch over her while Izumi-kun was in ANBU." He then placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "But with Izumi now a jōnin sensei for Naruto-kun, which is still strictly off the official registry, she could spend more time with Satsuki while you and Mikoto take up the mantle of Hokage and clan head."

The Uchiha couple, still in shock over the man's offer, turned to one another. They stared into one another's eyes, as if they were holding a conversation all to themselves without so much as uttering a word. Hiruzen gave them the privacy they needed, which wasn't very much given how they were already conversing, and continued eating.

"Jiji? Is Fugaku-sama really gonna become the Godaime?" Naruto couldn't help but grill his grandfather for more information on the matter. This didn't happen in his past life!

_"Well, I wasn't Izumi-sensei's student in my past life and neither of the Uchiha heirs were fucking GIRLS."_

"If Fugaku truly decides to take up the hat, then yes, Wicked Eye Fugaku will become the Godaime Hokage."

Whoa.

"'Wicked Eye Fugaku?' I didn't know he was so bada- OW!" Naruto yelped, holding onto his foot.

"Naruto." Izumi glared at him. "Tiny ears."

"S-sorry, sensei." Jeez. His sensei is so mean. Satsuki's going to learn how to curse at some point anyways, so why did his foot have to take the abuse?

"Yes, Naruto-kun." The Hokage smirked. "'Tiny ears.'"

"Don't you start with me about 'tiny ears,' jiji. At least I don't read _that_ in the Hokage's Office!" The blush on the old man's freckled cheeks could clearly be seen by everyone.

"What does he read in the Hokage's Office?" Yikes. Who wants to explain this one to the half-pint? Izumi gave him one last glare before addressing her little sister.

"Don't worry about it, Satsuki-chan." Distraction is the key to a shinobi's success, both in the field and in their day-to-day life. "What do you want to learn today?"

The younger Uchiha's eyes sparkled in delight. Free reign to learn whatever she wanted? It's like her birthday and Lunar New Year came early!

**"Gōkakyū no Jutsu**!" She exclaimed happily. Of course the little pyro would choose that jutsu. It would have been a surprise if she didn't choose it.

"If that's what you want, Satsuki-chan." Izumi patted her sister's head, mussing up the girl's straight black hair.

"Mou~! Nee-chan!"

Naruto couldn't help but be intrigued by the idea of learning the **Gōkakyū no jutsu **from his famous sensei. He internally winced as he realized the struggle he will face given the jutsu's opposing chakra nature to his own wind nature. It will be difficult, but it won't be impossible, as shown by the Sandaime Hokage, who had mastered all five elemental natures along with Inton (Yin Release) and Yoton (Yang Release).

And Naruto Uzumaki never backs down from a challenge.

"_**Are you sure about that, Na~ru~to~kun?"**_ The seductive, purring voice of his resident bijū made him shiver.

Never mind. Naruto Uzumaki _almost_ never backs down from a challenge.

"_**Mm. That's too bad. A shame, really."**_ The link was soon cut, but not before the seductress managed to fill his ears with her laughter. He didn't know if the sound was beautiful or terrifying. Probably both.

Fuck. Three months. Three months and he still hasn't gotten over the idea of having a female Kyūbi as his tenant. A couple of surprisingly affectionate goddesses who look like the Mother of All Chakra? No problem. His best friend a rival along with said rival's brother being females? A bit of a head turner, but he'll survive. A female Kyūbi instead of his male partner?

_Fuck. That._

"Hokage-sama." The baritone voice of Fugaku snapped Naruto out of his Kyūbi induced stupor. "Mikoto and I have come to a decision."

"And that would be?"

"I accept, Hokage-sama."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Izumi smiled to herself as she walked through the quiet halls of her home. With the Hokage's blessing, her father will become the first Uchiha Hokage in the history of Konoha. With his acceptance of the hat, the damned elders might just be satisfied.

All of this, the changes that had come to her home, to the very future of her clan was caused by one person.

_"I should check in on him. And thank him."_

She silently opened the door to her sister's room, never making a single sound. Long since Satsuki's birth, she had spent many a night watching over her beloved sister. Like a dark-haired guardian angel, she would tuck her sister in the dark of night, never making a sound.

Walking across the room, her bare feet made no noise along the wooden floor boards. The moonlight that filtered through Satsuki's window bathed the room in a soft white glow, just enough for Izumi to see the outline of her sister on her bed. Like every night, her sister had tossed and turned until her blanket was a wrinkled mess, covering little to no part of her. And just like every night, she would tuck her sister in, fixing the crumpled blanket with clear affection.

"Sweet dreams, my little moon," she whispered quietly as she placed a soft kiss on Satsuki's temple.

Her actions caused the young girl to stir in her sleep, only to settle down once more with a smile on her lips as she burrowed deeper into the comfort of her bed.

_"Time to check in on the little troublemaker."_

Leaving the room with the same wraith-like stealth she had used to enter it, Izumi made her way to Naruto's room, only stopping around the corner to his room when she saw the light seeping through the gap beneath his door. Shaking her head, exasperated by the sheer stubbornness of her apprentice, she opened the door without preamble, knowing that if he was awake, he would already know she was there. What she saw made her pause, caught between admiring him for his drive and reprimanding him for not getting any rest.

Two clones were seated next to the bed, playing a game of shōgi between themselves. Four separate clones sat amongst themselves on the floor by the far wall, reading through the nature manipulation scrolls she had given him earlier that day. Imagine her surprise when he'd asked her for help in nature manipulation rather than jutsus! He's not even supposed to know what nature manipulation is until he's a chūnin, at the very least! Without any chakra paper on hand, she couldn't properly test him, she had simply given him all five scrolls. Which begs the question: why wasn't there a clone practicing Wind nature transformation?

"Which one of you is the original?" She crossed her arms and waited for their answer.

"He is." The six clones pointed to "the original." Of course, it doesn't help that they all pointed at a different one.

"Where is he?" This time, they all hesitated, unwilling to give up the boss without a proper reason. But they also know that if they don't comply, the original's going to get punished during the next training session.

"He's… he's in the Forest of Death."

Izumi's stomach clenched in worry, only to have the feeling be squashed down by her sense of logic. With what her student had shown her and what she assumed he was holding back, she knew he was more than capable of handling anything in that forest. It didn't stop the ache of worry that clawed at her chest.

"Get him back here."

The clone practicing Fire nature transformation nodded and crossed his fingers, spawning a clone and dispelling it just as quickly. Now, she only had to wait for her wayward student to return, most likely through the window. Sitting down on the bed, she watched the clones as they returned to their business, satisfied that they'd dealt with the current threat of an angry sensei. She didn't have to wait long, as her student opened the window and climbed in through it like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Hey sensei."

This little brat. She said nothing, only staring at him with a stone-cold face of indifference and crossed arms. The clones seemed to have caught on to the shit storm that was going to come, so they all promptly stood up and got into a line, saluting the original.

"Good luck, boss!"

_Poof!_

"Tch. Cowards." Despite what he'd said, Naruto gulped audibly when his eyes landed on Izumi's own. Rather than the tidy ponytail she normally kept her long hair in, she had let it down as a part of her nightly rituals. The straight locks of dark hair was swept over her right shoulder, seamlessly melding with her blue shirt and black shorts. "Sensei… what are you doing up so late?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Naruto."

_"Fuck me…"_ She didn't use any suffix with his name. That's how he knew he fucked up. "I was out training."

"Oh?" Her voice was deceptively calm, her face a perfect mask of neutrality.

"Yea… I couldn't sleep."

"Hm." Damn. He must really be in trouble if she whipped out the patented Uchiha hum.

"Uh… if that's all you needed, I'm just gonna… go back to training-ttebayo." In his anxiety, his verbal tic slipped out. "Good night!"

Just as he was about to hop back out into the cold night, a warm hand settled against the hand he used to brace against the window frame. There was no force to the action, a gentle gesture that told him to wait.

"No."

"'No?'"

"You are going to go to bed and you are going to go to sleep."

"I am?"

Izumi took advantage of the moment of hesitation and stepped forward, pulling him back and closing the open window in a single motion. He couldn't say anything to object as her hand held onto his and led him back towards his bed. He was tempted to pulse his chakra and cancel what he had assumed to be a mind control genjutsu placed on him, but he'd rather not risk angering his sensei.

"I will not have you tired and dead on your feet tomorrow simply because you are too stubborn to know when to rest," she asserted as she turned off the lamp on his desk.

_"It's just one night of sleep. My clones will do the training for me. I'll just have to do my physical conditioning some other time."_

What he expected, was for his sensei to push him into his bed, tuck him in and turn off the lights. What actually happened was a far cry from what his mind cooked up. And he didn't know if that was a good or bad thing.

Rather than pushing him into bed, his sensei slid into his bed, still as graceful as ever, and pulled him beneath the blanket. With her in it.

"Uh… s-sensei?" No matter what he did, he couldn't hide the blush on his cheeks and the stutter in his speech.

"Hush. Sleep." She was really adamant about this.

"B-But…"

"_Sleep_," she commanded.

_"Easier said than done-ttebayo,"_ he thought, as he became hyper aware of the way his sensei pinned him down. One arm was beneath his neck, holding onto his shoulder while the other was draped across his stomach and one leg was cross over both of his.

"S-Sensei…"

"Hush," she whispered. He didn't have a choice in this matter as Izumi pulled him closer, holding him like she would a body pillow. "Good night, Naruto."

"G-Good night, sensei." Not daring to look directly at his sensei, he stared up at the ceiling in abject fear of what was happening. Was it getting hot in here or was it just him?

For quite a while, Naruto laid there, stiff as a board, fearful that if he moved so much as a centimeter in any direction, his sensei would beat the living daylights out of him during their next session or worse, assume that he's a pervert of some kind. Slowly, but surely, the stillness of the night and his exhaustion from the day's events slowly drew his eyelids shut.

_"I just hope Fugaku doesn't kill me tomorrow morning."_

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Mikoto woke up in the morning, happier than she'd ever been in quite awhile. With the Sandaime's visit yesterday, it was as if a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. Fugaku would assume the role of the Godaime Hokage, given the old bastards don't do anything stupid. Her husband had woken up earlier in the morning, but decided to stay in bed for a bit longer, basking in the silence of the morning. She decided to give him a freebie for the morning, but something at the back of her mind told her that the dawn's peace and quiet wasn't going to last much longer.

Walking downstairs, she was taken aback by the silence of the early morning. Ever since Naruto had joined them, he would usually be awake by this time, helping her and Izumi prepare breakfast after the pair had returned from their morning warm-up. Instead, she found the kitchen unusually quiet and devoid of life.

_"They've never been late to breakfast before…"_

Walking back up the stairs, she checked her older daughter's room first. Silently opening the door, much like Izumi was prone to do, she was greeted by her daughter's room, perfectly made and perfectly clean. Not a single thing was out of place.

_"Are they still out training?"_

Walking down the hall, she reached the guest room that had been transformed into the resident blond's room. She had often walked into the boy's room in the early morning, using the time he is out training to tidy up parts of his room. Most of the time, his room is surprisingly clean. On a few rare days, the room looks like a hurricane had just torn through it, so she just assumed he had assigned days for clean up. When she opened the door, she caught a glimpse of an in-progress shōgi game and several scattered scrolls.

_"Up late studying again? No wonder he couldn't get up today."_

She had known of the boy's penchant for staying up late to study or train. She'd seen the light in his room on through the crack beneath the door more times than she cared to count so it didn't surprise her in any capacity that it would catch up to him one day. Padding across the room, she held onto what she assumed to be his shoulder and gently shook.

"Wake up, Naruto-kun. It's six in the morning already."

Her attempts at rousing her godson abruptly stopped when the blanket slid downwards, revealing a head of long black hair on top of a head of spiky blond locks. A gasp escaped her lips as the Uchiha mother took in the sight of her oldest child holding onto Naruto like a stuffed animal, his head tucked beneath her own. Cautiously pulling the blanket away, she realized that what she had grabbed wasn't her godson's shoulder. It was her daughter's arm, wrapped around Naruto's shoulder in a vice grip that would have put spider crabs to shame. The removal of the blanket and the introduction of cool morning air to the sleeping duo did nothing to stir them awake. Instead, her daughter took it as an opportunity to pull her living body pillow closer to stave away the sudden loss of heat.

_"Well… I did say Naruto wouldn't notice girls for at least another decade…" _She paused and looked at her sleeping daughter, a faint smile on her lips. "_But I didn't say anything about Izumi-chan."_ Gripping her daughter's shoulder, she did her best to not jostle the blond body pillow.

"Izumi-chan," she whispered. "Izumi-chan!" Mikoto will never be able to forget the image of her Izumi, groaning and humming in contentment as she struggled to escape the bonds of sleep.

"Kā-chan?" Her bleary eyes fluttered open. "What are you doing in my room?" Mikoto smirked.

_"Oh dear me."_ More teasing material for her. "Oh? Are you sure this is your room, Izumi-chan?"

"Wha?" Mikoto's smile widened when Izumi pulled the blond in even closer like some prized object of comfort.

She could see the clarity coming back to her daughter's eyes, little by little. Her own presence and the brightness of the rising sun seemed to help jump start Izumi's thoughts as her eyes snapped wide open. Mikoto couldn't help but giggle as her daughter started to blush to the roots of her hair as she stared, wide eyed, at the blond in her arms. Izumi then looked up at her mother, a clear sheen of embarrassment shone through her black eyes.

"So this is why you hold his hands all the time."

"N-No!" Never in her life did Mikoto think she would catch her daughter so flustered.

"I don't want any grandkids just yet, alright?" Mikoto wasn't even sure herself if she'd said it out of jest or out of an actual fear she'd be a grandmother in the next decade. Both, if she was being honest with herself.

Izumi's face _glowed_ red as she floundered for an answer to her mother's accusations. Mikoto wouldn't let her daughter have the last laugh on this.

"Just get out of bed before your father gets up, hmm?" With her piece said, Mikoto walked out of the room and closed the door behind her, leaving her normally stoic daughter to stew in her own embarrassment.

_"Oh, they grow up so fast."_ Mikoto's smile then turned bittersweet as she thought of her daughter and how quickly she'd grown up without either herself or her husband truly realizing it. _"Too fast."_


	7. Past Regrets, Present Connections

**Chapter 7: Past Regrets, Present Connections**

**Upload Date: 2/21/2020**

The earth shook with contemptuous ease, followed by tempestuous winds that shook and battered all who stood before the demon of their nightmares, the subject of their eternal hatred. Even the most powerful of their forces, abused by the war efforts, fatigued by the endless waves, were forced to their knees by the wrathful god's attack.

"Shikaku… Inoichi…"

His eyes burned as tears carved a trail down his grimy cheeks. He hadn't known them all that well. He'd only known of them, of who they were.

Fathers. Shika and Ino's.

"Naruto-kun!"

He turned around, away from the tearful teammates and watched, helpless as the blue haired girl moved herself between him and imminent death. How many times had he seen this moment? How many more times will he have to see it? His lips moved without his command, yet he already knew of what he would say, the sound burned into his lasting memory.

"Neji!"

The blue haired girl turned her head around in surprise. So focused was she on his well-being that she had completely ignored the expanded field of vision given by her dōjutsu.

"Nii-san!"

A grunt of pain joined the desperate cry of fear. His tears continued unhindered. He wasn't hurt by the onslaught of chakra-laced spikes, so why did his heart ache so much? Why did his stomach twist itself into knots?

He scrambled towards the downed form of his friend. Every step he took, every foothold he gained seemed to put him even further away from the green outline of his friend's jacket.

"Neji! You bastard!"

His friend smiled at him.. Blood stained his teeth and gums, pouring from his lips and from the surely fatal wound that punctured through his abdomen.

"Free," he'd whispered reverently. "I'm finally free."

NO! NO!

"NO!"

Naruto jerked awake, thrashing against the confines of his sheets. His hand went straight for his chest, grasping away at a nonexistent object, seeking its comfort.

Nothing.

For the second time in as many minutes, he panicked, frantically searching the folds of his blanket for what he had assumed would be there. After a few seconds, his sleepy, grief-stricken thoughts caught up to his actions and halted his actions.

_"Not again."_ Sweeping his gaze to the analog clock on his wall, he wiped at his teary eyes to properly read the clock. _"Not even three hours-ttebayo."_

Midnight had come and gone, leaving it only one in the morning and long before the sun would grace the world with its warmth. Climbing out of bed, he quickly got dressed, doing everything he could to drag his mind away from the emotional rabbit hole that had cropped up. It wouldn't do well to dwell on the deaths of those he no longer knew. It wouldn't help to see the world in the depths of hell once again.

Silently spawning a clone, it wordlessly took his place in bed in the event his sensei decided to check up on him again. He grabbed the blue jacket that bore the crest of the Uchiha Clan and hopped out of the window with nary a sound. It was nights like these that drove him to train until the sun breached over the horizon. He trained until his bones ached and his muscles screamed in protest because of these restless nights.

Nightmares, he could handle. Nightmares are of the imagination, a mix of the subconscious and the imagination. But these? They weren't nightmares; they were memories. Nightmares aren't real. The fear that they bring is potent, but fleeting. Real… yet not. The fear that came with these memories though, were far too real. They are a testament to his failure, not just as a shinobi, but also as a friend.

The cold night air did the trick, pilfering the last vestiges of sleep from his mind. He could sense several groups of ANBU hopping along the rooftops and following him, if only to verify his identity before veering away and continuing their routes. He could even see some jōnin return from their missions as they headed straight for the Hokage Tower and its Mission Registry. Where most people would sleep at night, it is actually during this time that shinobi villages truly come alive.

During the day, only a handful of jōnin could be seen along the rooftops, a strategic move used to reassure the civilians. At least, that's what Izumi taught him. Letting them see their protectors was an easy way to assuage the fears of the people. He knew better than anyone else how fear and paranoia could lead to civil distrust.

Naruto wanted, more than anything, to head towards Training Ground Forty Four, to tear up the deadly forest in his pursuit of a clear mind. But he couldn't. The villages' Chūnin Exams are currently underway, preventing him from entering the forest without starting a war with the other villages. He wasn't stupid enough to start the Fourth Shinobi World War for something as simple as some late night training.

Instead, he directed his path towards his favorite place in the village. Well, his second favorite place. Nothing tops Ichiraku's.

Sitting down on his father's head and leaning back on his palms, an explosive sigh parted his lips. Looking out over his beloved home, he felt his stomach churn as his mind dredged up his memories of the war. With his Kurama Mode chakra shared amongst the shinobi and active Sage Mode, he could feel the presence of every person. He could still remember the emptiness that came as each ninja fell, be it to the Jūbi or the Fissioned Beings birthed from the flesh of that accursed creature. His hand clutched at his chest, trying to dull the ache of his heart. As a Sage and as someone who values life above all else, it'd hurt to personally experience the death of so many at once.

Knowing that sleep would be out of his reach, Naruto laid down on the stone carving of his father's head and stared at the night sky above. The three year training trip with Jiraiya, although not as fruitful as he would have liked, had allowed him to travel across the continent without any fear of being hunted by the Akatsuki and without the hustle and bustle of mission objectives. He was just a boy and travelling the world with his godfather. They'd spent nights together, out in the wilderness, where the Toad Sage had regaled his many experiences to young Naruto.

Back then, he was too much of a brat to just enjoy the peace and quiet of a restful night with someone who cared about him. Now, he knew better. The sky above was barely speckled with stars, a stark contrast to the starry nights he'd spent out in the wild with his team and with the white-haired Sennin. His eyes closed, letting the gentle winds that managed to make it into the valley of the village cool his heated skin.

"You can come out now, Yūgao-chan." Out from the shadow of a nearby hair spike, the aforementioned girl stepped out of hiding. Her arms were crossed with an unimpressed frown on her face.

"Shouldn't you be in bed by now, Naruto-kun?"

"I should be," he answered honestly, turning his head to look at her, "but you know how nightmares can be."

Her frown lightened and her arms uncrossed. Her squad was currently on leave from their mission rotation, so they had time to relax and unwind after their series of missions. She was out for a late night run amongst the rooftops, something she'd picked up from the blond jinchūriki, when she saw him bolt towards the Hokage Monument. She had given chase with aspirations of yelling at the idiot for being up so late despite not having any missions, but the brief glimpse she'd caught of his face stayed her tongue. He looked haunted, and not like the fear of a child waking from a nightmare.

He'd looked like some of her superiors. In particular, the ones who had survived the Third Shinobi World War.

She walked over and sat down next to him. Picking his head up, she carefully placed it within her lap and ran her fingers through his hair. She kept her eyes on his face, aware of every muscle twitch. Between the two weeks that it had taken Izumi's mom to set up Naruto's room and convince her daughter to get him to move in, the two had spent many nights together, along with the rest of Tatsumaki, running along the rooftops using nothing but their muscle strength. No chakra enhancement whatsoever.

It was, quite possibly, the first time she'd had fun since she'd joined ANBU.

It was silly, really. Simple nights of freerunning along the rooftops with her team and their charge were far more memorable than the deadly missions she'd taken over the course of her short career. Those missions made her bond with her team, of course, but there was something about that blond that was so approachable. She didn't know what it was. Perhaps her senpais knew what it was. It couldn't be the happy-go-lucky attitude. Practically every child had that.

No. It had to be something else.

"Thanks, Yū-chan." Her cheeks flushed at the too intimate nickname.

"Baka," she reprimanded, pinching his cheek. "You only give nicknames like that to a girl that you like."

"But I do like you, Yū-chan!"

Oh boy. Why did she have to be the one to explain the difference between "liking" someone and "like liking" someone?

"I meant a girl you could see yourself spending the rest of your life with."

"Well, I could spend the rest of my life with you-ttebayo!"

Motherfucker! Either he's the cutest, most innocent idiot or the smoothest Cassanova. For the sake of what's left of her moral compass, it had better be the first one. Her cheeks even redder now than it was before, she looked away from him.

"Baka! You don't say that without meaning it!"

"But I do mean it!" He took her hand, which had been stroking his hair and placed it against his cheek, never letting go. "I can't see my life without you in it-ttebayo."

_**"****My oh me. It appears that my jinchūriki isn't as innocent as he lets on, already playing with the heart of a girl seven years his senior."**_ The Kyūbi's voice broke through the silence that had followed his declaration, as Yūgao did her best to come up with a coherent response.

"_What are you on about, Kyūbi-chan?"_

"_**Hmm. Nothing. You'll know when you grow older."**_

"Y-You can't go around saying things like that!" Yūgao stuttered. "You save that stuff for a romantic partner!"

"Romantic… partner?" Naruto tilted his head to the side, somewhat confused by the notion.

Truth be told, it wasn't an act. The idea of a romantic partner seemed novel. He'd chased after Sakura before, obviously, but he'd never given it thought. He was just seeking attention from someone he thought was his friend. After Izumi forced him to read - could being forced to read be considered cruel and unusual punishment? - he'd realized that his ideas of love have been shallow. He'd chased Sakura only because she was pretty, because he thought she was a friend. He'd followed her every whim and hated Sasuke for no other reason than he had her attention and Naruto did not. Nothing more.

"Naruto-kun?" Yūgao's thumb brushing across his whiskers drew his fluttering eyes towards the purple haired girl. She was no longer blushing, her brows furrowed together in a look of worry. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"About love?" She shook her head.

"About your nightmares."

He didn't. He really didn't. What was he going to tell her? "_Oh yea, I'm a seventeen-year-old reincarnated war hero into his five-year-old self and now I'm having flashbacks of how I failed to protect my friends."_ He might as well go up to Ibiki and ask for a personal torture session from the scarred veteran.

"You don't have to say anything if you don't want to, but I'm here for you." She didn't know what he was going through, but that was the point of telling him this, so he knew that she was more than willing to listen to his troubles.

"Thanks, Yū-chan," he acknowledged her efforts, "but I can't." Her frown deepened in obvious distaste.

"Can't, or won't?"

"Both," he admitted. "It's not something I can share."

"Oh." She sounded incredibly disappointed. "I see."

She clearly didn't. She probably thought he was just holding out on her. Prior to moving in with the Uchihas, they had spent enough time together to be considered friends at the very least. To him, she is a friend, a break from the constant self-imposed training and the training regimen Izumi had set out for him. Sure, Satsuki was closer to his age, but she was too standoffish, even at this age, to be a conversationalist.

Izumi is his sensei, first and foremost, so there was a sort of barrier between them. She would hand him a scroll and he would be off, using whatever clones he could to learn the jutsu or process the information. They've had their share of moments, the night she'd spent in his bed springs to mind, but those have been few given how engrossed he has been in his training.

Yūgao is an outlet for him as much as he is to her. Within her line of work and with the timetable established by the ANBU, there was little time for friends, even amongst her fellow colleagues. And with her three year probation under a veteran squad leader coming to an end, it would soon be her turn to lead squads of her own. No S-ranked suicide missions, obviously, but she will be leading her squads on clandestined operations into enemy territory. This will eat away even more of her time back at home unless they are during the two week break period.

To her surprise, the blond had easily filled in the role of a friend and confidant. Her squadmates could have easily filled in that role as well. Taka (Hawk) is from the same class at the Academy, where they'd shown promise and joined ANBU together. Buta (Boar) is an experienced shinobi, around ten years her senior, though he was too inexperienced during the Third Shinobi War to join the frontlines like Kakashi. Kuma (Bear) is a grizzled war vet, yet he is as kind as they came. Well, as kind as one could be in their line of work, which wasn't very kind, to be honest.

Yet, with their friendship and camaraderie came a sense of expectation. Not from them, but from herself. She didn't want to appear weak to her team. She refused to be seen as weak in a squad of males. She knew her own impulsive expectations, a byproduct of her upbringing as an orphan, were as illogical as they came, but she couldn't help it.

With Naruto, she didn't feel the same pressures. No self-imposed expectations of herself, no secrets that he wished to hear from her like Taka. She knew her classmate and fellow team member had a crush on her; he'd even joined ANBU for that very reason. The thought was sweet, but she couldn't reciprocate the way he felt. He was far too engrossed in the way he felt. It was as if he'd romanticized the idea of who she is.

Naruto was just someone she could talk with. He didn't judge, he didn't mock. He just accepted. She couldn't tell what it was about him that told her to open up. She knows of his status, she knows of his loneliness, but neither of those things explained his capacity for emotional connection.

He has only seen six winters, a child in every sense of the word. He has been ostracized, cast aside by the very village he is protecting. Her psychological training told her that his current social interactions, or lack thereof, should have caused his emotional development to be stunted. Humans are social creatures; interpersonal connections are important, especially so for an impressionable child. When ostracized or isolated from human interaction, humans become more observant of social cues and physical expressions. However, this increased perception is supposed to come at a cost: understanding.

Even though the person becomes much more perceptive and in tune with the actions and cues of others, they lose the ability to properly interpret those actions. Without the direct human contact necessary to personally display these cues and emotions, those who are isolated will be more likely to perceive an action or emotion as negative, even if it was to the contrary. These perceived negatives would then further isolate the person, leading to a cycle of self-imposed isolation and dissociation.

Naruto showed none of this emotional ineptitude.

Instead, he seemed to have an innate understanding of what people feel, regardless of what is physically displayed. As an ANBU whose face was hidden by a porcelain mask and trained to be the best of the best, she gave out no physical cues or emotional tells, yet Naruto could home in on her every emotion with ease. And she wasn't alone in her observations. The others in her team have also noticed their charge's ability to pick up emotions without establishing visual contact.

"Yū-chan."

"Yes, Naru-chan?" The childlike title made him pout, though the expression barely lasted a second.

"Thank you for being my friend." He reached up with his hand and brushed it against her cheek. She smiled and rested her palm against his cheek, shaking her head.

"No. Thank _you_ for being my friend." Naruto blinked, confused. "You have been keeping me company almost every night that I have off back in Konoha." She brushed her thumb over his whisker marks. "I don't know what it is about you, little fox, but you got me to open up to you when I couldn't even do so with my teammates."

"I'm just that awesome-ttebayo!" She giggled and flicked her middle finger against his nose. "Ow!"

"Look at the ego on this one!" She laughed as Naruto pouted up at her. "If you're not careful, I'm gonna tell Izumi-chan to beat it out of you." Her threat seemed to get through to him, if the gasp of shock is to be believed.

"You wouldn't do that would you?! Izumi-sensei is _brutal_!"

"Only if you promise to keep that ego in check." Holding up her pinky, she teased the blond. "Pinky promise?"

"Pinky promise!" Naruto smiled and wrapped his pinky around hers. The two shared a laugh at the silly gesture, a rare moment of childlike youth in a world of assassins.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Yūgao hummed to herself as she walked to her regular hangout, a small shinobi-run café called The Sleepy Shuriken. From afar, she could already see her friends seated at their regular spot, a window-side booth, with drinks in hand.

"Yū-chan!" She had barely made it through the door when her friends called out to her.

Kurenai Yūhi, chūnin of Konoha and one of the most proficient genjutsu users of their village, barring the Uchiha and their dōjutsu. Dressed in a crimson shirt and black jeans that matched her rippled eyes and brought out her pale complexion, her friend is one of the most beautiful girls of their age. A definite heartbreaker.

Hana Inuzuka, recently promoted chūnin and practicing veterinarian of Konoha. Her brown hair is cut to shoulder length, leaving it free to bob and sway with every movement. Her cheeks are adorned with the marks of her clan, a pair of downward facing purple triangles that represented the fangs of her clan. Wearing a brown fur lined jacket, the tomboyish girl didn't flaunt her beauty, but didn't hide it either. Faded blue jeans and a plain white shirt helped complete her tomboy apparel.

Last but not least, Anko Mitarashi, chūnin and the former apprentice of Orochimaru. Wearing an open tan jacket over her maroon shirt with a matching tan skirt, the purple-haired teen tied her long hair into a spikey, haphazard ponytail, not too unlike a pineapple.

"Hey girls." Of course, Anko was the first one to catch onto her good mood.

"Damn baby! What got you in such a good mood? Finally popped your cherry?"

"Anko!" Kurenai came to her defense immediately, appalled by the idea. "She didn't 'pop her cherry,' as you put it. If she did, she would be limping."

Never mind. That's not really coming to her defense.

"Tch!" Why is Anko so avidly trying to get her to lose her V-card?! "If you want, I could hook you up, Yū-chan!"

"No, I'm good." She sat down beside Hana, petting the Haimaru brothers, who sat beneath her feet. "Just had a really good morning." Hana, with her ridiculous sensitive nose, immediately knew what she was talking about.

"You didn't lose your virginity, but you did spend time with a boy."

"Hana!" Damn her and that stupid nose! "Ugh." Her forehead thunked against the table, clattering the cups and dessert plates. "Yes."

"Was it Whiskers?"

"Yes, it was Whiskers." ANBU training be damned, there was no way for her to keep the exasperation out of her voice.

"Well, don't hold out on us, girl! How was your morning with your boy toy?" Anko, being the curious person she is, was more than ready to grill one of her besties for all the juicy details.

"Anko! Naruto-san is only six years old. Have some decency. Yūgao wouldn't go for someone that young." Kurenai was too quick to chastise Anko, completely missing the blush on Yūgao's face as she recalled the events of the early morning. "Right, Yūgao?"

"Yūgao-chan?" This time, it was Hana who called out to her, shaking her shoulders and lifting her head. "Are you… blushing?"

"No!" The squeak in her voice and the red on her cheeks didn't help.

"No way!" Anko declared, wide eyed and smirking like she just won a lifetime supply of dango. "You're totally digging the little bastard!"

"Am not!"

"Pssh!" Anko waved her hand, shooting down Yūgao's denial with ease. "You can't bullshit a bullshitter. Now spill!"

Her eyes darting back and forth between Kurenai and Hana, she recognized the glint of interest in their eyes. They wanted to know as well. So either she spills it now, or they'll annoy her until she does.

_"'Best friends', my ass."_

So, against her will and under the scrutiny of her closest friends, she was forced to divulge the interaction she had with Naruto earlier that morning.

"I fucking knew it! You wanna jump his bones!"

"I don't!" Yūgao immediately denied. "He's cute, but he's too young."

"So you would be into him if he was older?" Damn Kurenai and her smarts.

"No? Yes? I don't know?" What was she supposed to say? He's definitely cute, but she didn't know enough about him to give a proper answer. "I guess he's… alright but I don't know enough about him. And again: he's too young! I don't think he even knows what girls are yet."

"Ha! He definitely knows what girls are after he told you when you were on your period!" Anko laughed, remembering the embarrassment on her bestie's face when she'd told them about that day.

"Ugh!" Yūgao hid her hands in her face. It was starting to look like red was going to be a permanent part of her facial expressions.

"Well, what can you tell us about him aside from the fact that he has whiskers?" Hana, the more inquisitive of the three, raised the question.

"Yea, what can you tell us about the gaki?" Yūgao's only reprieve from the endless teasing of her fellow purplette was the stick of dango in Anko's hands. Can't grill someone if your gob is stuffed full of sweets.

"_Better get it over with now rather than later,"_ she admitted. Her friends are goddamn persistent. "He's cute."

"Obviously," the other three teased.

"He is… a surprisingly good listener." That little tidbit seemed to throw her friends off.

"Uzumaki-san? 'A good listener?'" Kurenai, the brightest of the three, couldn't help but blink in surprise. "Are you sure, Yūgao?" From what she'd heard of the boy in the village, he has shown little to no ability to hold still, let alone _listen_.

"Yea, I'm sure." She stole a dango from Anko's plate, prompting an indignant yell from the Snake Mistress. "He listened to me rant about Hayate, he's listened to me rant about my missions. And he doesn't just listen, he remembers. And… that chakra…" She gave an involuntary shiver as she recalled the veritable flood of power that was used to keep her warm, catching her lip between her lips to hold back any sounds that might be damning her to even more embarrassment.

Eyes wide and lips parted, her friends couldn't believe what they were seeing and hearing. His chakra couldn't possibly feel that good, could it?

"And those whiskers on his cheeks are actually sensitive enough to make him purr." Yūgao bit back a squeal as her hands clapped against her cheeks, starry eyes clouded over as she recalled the last time she got to play with his whiskers. "He _purrs!"_

Now, that. That _really _got their attention.

"He… purrs?" Her best friends blinked in surprise, confusion and interest.

Back in the Uchiha compound, Naruto shuddered as he helped Mikoto prepare breakfast. For some strange reason, he felt the sudden urge to **Henge** and remove his whiskers.

"Are you okay, Naruto-kun?" Mikoto looked over at him in worry, afraid he was coming down with something based on the way he shuddered.

"Uhm… yea, Oba-chan. I'm fine. I… kinda feared for my life for a second there-ttebayo." Mikoto giggled.

"Maybe your 'Yū-chan' finally told her friends about your whiskers." Mikoto smirked and brushed the back of her hand against Naruto's whiskers, prompting him to purr and lean against her knuckles before snapping out of it and blushing profusely.

"Oba-chan! Stop it-ttebayo!"

"Oh, don't be like that, Naruto-kun. It's cute!"

_"But I'm not supposed to be cute, damn it!" _He kept the thought to himself, however. Cursing in front of Mikoto is a surefire way to get your mouth washed with soap.

Suddenly, the feeling of fear returned full force when he felt a familiar gaze on the back of his head. His spine went stiff as the tingle of fear trailed down his spine. Turning around, his eyes landed upon his sensei. Normally, seeing his sensei promoted a sense of happiness and fulfillment. This time, it only caused fear, confusion, and uncertain excitement, something that made him even more confused.

Her familiar black eyes are now glossed with a glassy stare, like she was focused on something other than what she could actually see. Her pink lips, slightly parted though no sound could be heard from her. Her ivory cheeks are dusted with shades of pink.

"Naruto-kun… purrs…"

_"Ah. Fuck me-ttebayo."_

"Yup! He purrs!" Yūgao nodded happily. Her friends, on the other hand, are less than convinced.

"I dunno, Yū-chan." Ever the skeptic, Anko was the first to speak up. "What kinda weirdo purrs?"

"He does!" Yūgao pouts. "Look, I'll prove it to you. He usually starts training with Izumi-chan around eight. We'll join them, Training Ground Six."

The girls still weren't convinced, but they accepted the opportunity to see their friend again without complaint. Then, they'll see about this "purring."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Yūgao, Kurenai, Anko, Hana and the Haimaru brothers sat amongst the trees, watching Naruto and Izumi as they sparred against one another with taijutsu in the grassy clearing. To Kurenai and Anko, who had attended the Academy and played their parts, albeit minor ones, in the Third Shinobi World War, the spar was nothing special. Hana, who is the same age as Itachi, was a little more impressed with the strength, agility, and reflexes displayed by the six year old as he tried to keep up with the prodigy in taijutsu. Yūgao, who has seen far deadlier fights in her stint as ANBU, was busy analyzing the two fighters, and thinking about getting to play with those whiskers.

In the midst of their spar, Izumi gave a faint smile, having noticed her friends seated amongst the trees. If she could see them, it meant that Naruto could sense them.

"Do you want to take a break, Naruto-kun?" She spoke softly, just loud enough for Naruto to hear. He seemed rather surprised, and disappointed, by her suggestion.

"Um. Sure." He'd honestly wanted more time training his reflexes and strikes against his sensei, but a short break wouldn't hurt. A feminine hum of disapproval followed his line of thought.

_**"****You should not be so focused on your goal of preventing the Fourth Shinobi War, Naruto."**_ This time, it was Miko who had spoken up, her voice deeper and huskier than that of Kagura's.

_"How could you say that, Miko-chan? You should know that-"_

_**"****I know that you want to prevent your friends from suffering through the same fate,"**_ she cut him off, already knowing what he was going to say. "_**But a person often meets their destiny on the road he took to avoid it."**_

_"I-"_

_**"****Nagato also devoted everything he had into the very concept of peace, one that he and his friends had dreamed of, yet look how that turned out."**_ He didn't want to admit it, but she had a point. _**"****_I_n his pursuit of peace, he stopped caring about those closest to him."**_ She gave him a moment to think over her words. _**"****Would you ever want to forsake your friends to pursue the same path, no matter how noble or beneficial it may be for them?"**_

_"No, but…"_ he stopped. He couldn't quite come up with any rebuttal against her words, despite his need and desire to protect his friends against the hell that is to come.

_**"The war will come, Naruto," **_Miko stated matter-of-factly. _**"****Perhaps this time, you will have the strength to protect those you consider precious. But all of your efforts would be for naught, if they see you as nothing more than a stranger - a hero - and not a friend."**_

With that, she left him alone to his thoughts as he walked alongside his sensei, headed for the treeline where her friends had been seated. His eyes were locked with the ground, barely giving his body any conscious thought as he moved one leg in front of the other, lost in a haze of indecision.

On one hand, he needed all of the advantages he could get his hands on to prepare himself for the war against Madara and the Akatsuki. Fighting against all S-ranked shinobi is a challenge, to be sure, but he is an S-ranked ninja in his own right. Having fought alongside his team against Kaguya, someone whose prowess is at least SSS-ranked, fighting some undead assholes, an explosives enthusiast, a talking fish-man and a pedo snake suddenly doesn't seem so bad. Especially when he could still feel the power of the Rikudō Sennin hiding beneath his chakra.

On the other hand, Miko is right. Preparing himself for war against a menagerie of highly skilled opponents is a monumental task, one that would be much easier if he had people he could trust at his back. Team Ten, Team Gai, and Team Eight are all invaluable to the war effort. And more than just that, he'd missed them. Over the past several months, he'd often caught himself falling back on old memories, thinking of the times he'd spent training with Team Seven and went out to eat with Team Ten. He missed his friends.

_"Fine," _he sighed. _"You win, Miko-chan."_

A soft hand wrapped itself around him, snapping him out of the daze. He couldn't even utter a sound of surprise before he was yanked forward, forced to move by an excited purple-haired girl.

"Yū-chan? What's the hurry?"

"I want you to meet my friends!" Of course, she didn't say the real reason. "_And show them your whiskers!"_

Looking ahead, he caught sight of her friends. Though they were younger, he had no trouble recognizing them for who they were. Anko Mitarashi. The crazy snake lady from the Chūnin Exam's second trial. Kurenai Yūhi. Asuma-sensei's future lover and sensei of Team Eight. The only one he didn't recognize was the Inuzuka and her ninken triplets. While the Inuzuka girl was around Izumi's age, the others were a bit older, pushing around maybe sixteen to seventeen.

"These are my friends," Yūgao started, now standing behind him with her hands on his shoulders. "This is Anko." She gestured towards the older purplette.

"'Sup, gaki?" She gave him a wink and a two-fingered salute.

"This is Kurenai."

"Hello, Uzumaki-kun." The raven-haired beauty gave a formal bow.

"And last, but not least, are Hana and her ninken, the Haimura brothers."

"Nice to meet ya!" The Haimura brothers didn't share her enthusiasm, however, as they all took a step back from him. "Uhh. Sorry about them, they're normally not like this."

He knew what the problem was before anyone could say anything: they could sense his tenant.

"It's fine, they'll warm up to me eventually." Just wait until he started using Sage Mode around them. They wouldn't be able to stay away.

Whatever thoughts he had on the subject was put aside when Anko kneeled down to eye level with him, not breaking eye contact. He wouldn't have thought anything was off it if Yūgao hadn't slightly tensed up and held a little more tightly onto his shoulders. Neither of them had any ill intent, which kept him from outright bolting across the training ground to hide behind his sensei, but the way Anko stared at him was rather disconcerting.

"Anko-san?" He was quite apprehensive about where this was going.

"Hmm?"

"Umm… why are you staring at me like that?" There was a pause in the conversation as Anko built up the suspense.

"Whiskers."

Naruto stood there, the word rattling around in his skull as he tried to figure out what she meant. It didn't take particularly long.

_"Damn it. Mikoto-oba-chan was right."_ He gave Yūgao the saddest, most kicked puppy dog look he could achieve. "Yū-chan. Help?"

"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun." To her credit, she actually looked guilty about sharing his unique disposition with her friends.

"You're the worst, Yū-chan."

By the time their little exchange had taken place, the rest of Yūgao's friends had already gathered around Naruto, focused solely on the whisker marks on his face.

"I've never seen anything like it, even with my clan!" Vet-in-training Hana Inuzuka was incredibly fixated on the birthmarks. Her clan, in spite of their affinity with their canid packmates and feral phenotypes, have never displayed anything that could have been misconstrued as whiskers. Yet here is this boy of unknown origins born with clear whisker markings on his cheeks.

"I don't know of any clans that would have markings like these," Kurenai supplied. "Do you, Anko?"

"Nah!" The cheerful purplette shook her head. "Even if they are from a clan, it wouldn't be one that was familiar with Konoha. If it was, someone from his clan would have already picked him up, don't you think?"

The other girls had to agree with Anko's assessment. It wasn't common knowledge, but there are a lot more clans within Konoha's walls than just the Akimichi, Hyūga, Inuzuka, Kurama, Nara, Sarutobi, Senju, Uchiha, and Yamanaka Clans. They were simply the most well-known clans, but that didn't make them the best. Simply the most renowned. However, not even Anko seemed to know of any clans, major, minor, or extinct that had such distinctive whisker-like features.

"Oi! I'm not a lab rat!"

"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun," Yūgao apologized. "You wouldn't mind it if they touched your whiskers, would you?" Naruto sighed. He knew what they wanted. Curse his stupid whiskers.

"You owe me three bowls of Ichiraku Ramen." Giving her the side eye, he couldn't even feel the thrill of being promised ramen as she nodded eagerly. "Alright… go ahead."

_Purr!_

The girls gasped quietly as they cautiously took turns brushing their thumbs across Naruto's whiskers. The quiet didn't last long.

"Kawaii~!" The three best friends had glomped onto the boy, squealing in delight.

Yūgao, who was more used to the cute purring, only giggled and pulled away as her friends practically smothered the boy in their embrace. Before the three could hold onto Naruto for much longer, they found themselves holding nothing but air as Izumi pulled her apprentice away from their clutches. Any hope Naruto had of being saved from further humiliation were dashed when she gave him a simple command:

"Five **Kage Bunshin**. Now."

And so, what was supposed to be his morning of taijutsu training with Izumi devolved into three hours of cooing females and purring clones. Even the ever calm and serious Izumi had taken a clone for herself and cuddled with him to the point of nearly popping the poor bastard multiple times. It was hard to tell if she just loved cute things or was being particularly vindictive with her petting given the nature of how she'd found out about Naruto's unique little feature.

Yūgao had taken her clone and fell asleep some time into the cuddle session, tired from being up for so long without any action. Leaning against a tree with the Naruclone in her lap, the scene was far too cute for the others to wake her up. ANBU, they knew, is absolute murder on the night squads' circadian rhythms. The warm morning sun, Naruto's natural body heat and calming aura certainly didn't help keeping the tired purplette awake either.

Anko, Hana, and Kurenai, on the other hand, were wide awake and took advantage of every moment they had with the purring boy, stroking his cheeks and whiskers while whispering amongst themselves about how cute he is. Most, if not all, kunoichi like to hide behind a mask of cold-hearted professionalism, making it incredibly rare for them to truly relax around others, especially strangers they'd just met hours previously. Now, for a few scant hours, they could lean back with their friends and be themselves.

This left Naruto with three hours of free time, so he decided to head out for a walk. Since his apprenticeship with Izumi is strictly off the books and he has no headband, there isn't much for him to do. No missions, no ninja library, and no training in the Forest of Death given the Chūnin Exams are still under way.

With nothing to do, his mind drifted away from reality. Memories of the past began to surface as his feet carried him throughout the memorised paths of the village. He heard none of the whispers and saw none of the glares. Even if he did, he'd developed a thick skin against such pointless shows of animosity. The condescending whispers and spiteful stares of civilians are worthless to someone who has stood before the likes of Orochimaru, Madara Uchiha and Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.

Doesn't make them any less annoying though.

Soon enough, he found himself back at the Uchiha Clan compound. As soon as he made it past the gates, he was nearly impaled by several kunai that had been thrown at him with impeccable accuracy. Only a sealless **Kawarimi (Substitution)** saved him from being turned into a human-shaped block of Swiss cheese.

"Che." His assailant gave an annoyed click of her tongue along with the sound of disappointment.

"'Tsuki-chan." He greeted the competitive girl with a wave off to the side, eyeing the collection of sharp metal objects that littered the poor log that had taken his place.

"Where's nee-chan?"

"What, no 'hello' for me?" When she simply pointed to the decimated log, he pouted. "This is the thanks I get for helping you learn tree-walking." He brushed past the girl and headed into the house, answering her question as he did so. "She's still at the training ground with her friends. I just came back early to tell Mikoto-oba-chan I won't be home for lunch."

"What's this I hear about you not being home for lunch?" The aforementioned woman walked around the corner, smiling at her godson.

"Hey, oba-chan. I'm going to Ichiraku Ramen with Izumi and her friends for lunch…" Naruto's words trailed off as his mind became occupied with the thought of indulging in his favorite food once more. Too bad his daydreams were ruined by a certain half-pint.

"What kind of ninja has an addiction to ramen?" Never one to back down from a challenge, Naruto fired back his own retort.

"What kind of person likes _tomatoes_?"

As expected, the little raven-haired girl flushed, though out of anger at having her favorite food insulted or out of embarrassment for her own hypocrisy, Naruto couldn't tell. Mikoto giggled behind her hand as her kids - yes, she saw Naruto as her own child - butted heads once again. Though both could act mature for their age, there were still moments of juvenile bickering. She valued these moments more than any others, reminding her that they were still kids. _Her _kids.

"Oh? And why are you going out to eat with Izumi and her friends?" The look she gave him was stern and rather protective. Like how Fugaku was rather protective of his daughters and any males who got near them, Naruto included, Mikoto is rather protective of Naruto and any female company he might keep, her daughters notwithstanding.

"Ramen… for whiskers." With those three words, Naruto sighed and his shoulders sagged, as if simply admitting it had caused what is left of his dignity to give him the middle finger and commit seppuku.

"You'd leave the village if Iwa promised you enough ramen…"

Naruto couldn't offer any comeback to Satsuki's jab. She isn't wrong… and since he isn't a shinobi…

"Ow!" Naruto held his head as a resounding _smack_ filled the house.

"Don't even think about it, buster." Harisen in hand, Mikoto reprimanded him for even entertaining the thought.

"I wasn't-ttebayo!"

"So you were drooling for no reason?" With years of experience dealing with the hot-headed Kushina, Mikoto knew how to handle Naruto.

"I…" He gave up trying to deny it. "You can't blame me. A lifetime supply of ramen sounds really good…"

"Addict," Satsuki accused.

"Half-pint," Naruto smirked.

If there was one thing that Satsuki hated, it is how short she is compared to Naruto. She is three months older than he is, yet Naruto had somehow outgrown the girl in the short time that he'd lived with them. At first, they had assumed it was just Naruto's body responding to having sufficient nutrients, but after watching him grow twenty centimeters (eight inches) in a single year, they knew it had to be something else. But when all the medical tests they had on him had come back negative, they'd assumed it was either due to the fox or something caused by Naruto's chakra.

Despite being the very energy that powers the world as they know it, there is actually a lot they didn't know about chakra. Like, what is it about chakra that allows a dōjutsu to see it, but not others? At what point does chakra become visible to the naked eye and why? Why does opening the Eight Gates allow one's chakra to become visible? How could some jutsus be limited to the bloodlines of a clan, like the Hyōton of the Yuki Clan or the Mokuton, limited to only those with Hashirama Senju's cells?

_"Huh… Since I'm Hashirama's chakra reincarnation, does that mean I can use Mokuton?"_

"So your Yū-chan really sold you out to her friends?"

"Yup."

"So how did you make it back here with your cheeks intact?" For some reason, Mikoto seemed a little _too _interested.

"**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**. Why?"

"Care to make me one? I… want an extra set of hands around the kitchen."

Thinking nothing of it, Naruto spawned a döppelganger without so much as twitching his fingers, showing his mastery over the kinjutsu.

"Thank you, dear." Taking the clone's hand, she led him to the kitchen. Disturbingly, the clone shot his progenitor a look of absolute murder.

_"What's his problem?" _Chalking it up to the personality quirks that have been known to crop up among his clones, he didn't think anything further on it.

"So… you wanna walk on water?"

The spark of happiness in her eyes told him everything he needed to know.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"You're getting a lot better, 'Tsuki-chan!"

Satsuki smiled at the words of praise/encouragement from the blond. Before the blond had come along, the only one she really connected with was her older sister. Being born into a family of prodigies, her life had been practically devoid of acknowledgement.

Her father, aptly named "Kyōgan Fugaku (Wicked Eye Fugaku)," is a prodigy in the use of **Genjutsu: Sharingan**, capable of weaving illusions so layered and complex that his enemies are said to die from mental stress before they could even realize they were in a genjutsu. She doubted one could die from being trapped in an illusion, but then again, she's never been trapped in one before.

Her mother, dubbed the "Sharingan no Entei (Fire Empress of the Sharingan)," is said to possess a Katon-nature so powerful that getting hit by her Katon jutsus are said to be like being baptized by Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess. She didn't know how hot the Sun could really get, but if her mom managed to earn herself a moniker like that, it had to be pretty hot.

Then, there was her sister. Izumi Uchiha, coined as "Sharingan no Izumi (Izumi of the Sharingan)," is renowned throughout the village, at least according to her father, for graduating at the age of six and unlocking her Sharingan at the age of eight. She is perfect at everything she did. Perfect scores, perfect katas. Even her cooking is enough to make everyone drool!

Where did that leave her?

Even under the tutelage of her mother, learning how to read, write, and weave hand seals had been incredibly discouraging. Her sister had somehow managed to graduate at the same age she is currently at, yet here she is, still learning how to properly write. Sometimes, she almost felt like she didn't belong in the family. She is still rather young, yet she knew that she had some big shoes to fill if she ever wanted to step out of her family's shadow.

Then, _he _came along. It was like he'd just fallen out of the sky. Her sister had brought him home one day, becoming a permanent part of their lives. At first, she hated him. He'd called her sister "sensei." Not only that, but her mother fawned over him, taking care of him like she would herself or Izumi. Even her father seemed to be interested in the sudden addition to their household.

For the first time in her life, she was afraid. Afraid of being left behind. Was he here to steal away the one true connection she had to her family, the one person that made her feel like she belonged? Was she… getting replaced? Somehow, she'd managed to convince herself that it was exactly what was happening. And so, she lashed out at him. She'd pick fights with him, throw her training weapons at him when he wasn't looking.

He never rose to the challenge.

No matter what she did, he wouldn't pick a fight with her. They would butt heads, sure, but he never hit her or maliciously threw something at her. He was patient, kind. Just like her sister. She thought he was mocking her, flaunting the fact that he is her sister's student.

And she _despised _him for it.

One day, she'd caught a glimpse of him training, doing something that she had thought was impossible: walking up trees. It had caught her so off guard that she'd spent quite some time simply gawking at the gravity-defying feat. When she'd finally collected herself, she took off in the opposite direction, running away from the blond that made her feel so insignificant.

She spent the rest of the day hidden away from the rest of her family, training by herself amongst the trees that surrounded their clan home. She tried and tried to replicate the impossible feat that she'd seen the blond perform, but to no avail. When she had gotten too tired to continue, she'd fallen off of the tree she was trying to run up, scraping her hands and knees on the rough bark. The first reaction that had come to her mind was to cry, but through sheer determination, she'd managed to fight against the pain, leaving only small droplets of moisture in the corners of her eyes.

When she'd blinked to clear her eyes, he was there. It was all his fault! She wanted to push him away, to yell and scream at him.

So she did.

Through it all, he said nothing. He stood there, taking her yelling and screaming without a word of complaint. Once she'd exhausted herself, panting from pain, anger, and fatigue, he'd moved in. She closed her eyes shut, afraid that she'd pushed him over the edge, afraid that he would hit her.

He didn't.

Her eyes slowly opened when she felt him pick up her hands, looking over her peeled skin and bleeding flesh with sympathy. She said nothing as he spread a medical cream across her cuts and bandaged her wounds.

She didn't get it. Why was he helping her?

The silence between them dragged on as he finished treating her, only broken when she yelped in surprise as he tossed her onto his back, holding his hands behind her knees. A piggyback ride. He carried her back home, helping her hide her injuries from everyone but her sister. Even then, he'd left the choice of actually saying anything up to her.

It was the first secret she ever kept from her sister. The first of many to come.

The next day, she'd returned to that same place, deep within the forest and away from any prying eyes. This time, however, she wasn't alone. There, standing at the base of the tree, is the blond enigma that had been plaguing her mind.

What did he want? Was he here to make fun of her? Was he here to show off?

"Trust me," he said, taking her hand and walking up to the tree. She didn't, yet she had no reason not to, so she played along.

"Pour a little bit of chakra to your feet until you can get it to stick." He'd laid down on the ground at the base of the tree, pulling her down along with him until their feet were firmly planted against the base.

Is this how he did it? Didn't he just run up the tree until he'd gotten it right?

It had taken her ten different attempts, adding more and more chakra to her feet before she could make her feet stick to the trunk of the tree. Step one complete. Now, she had to walk. Here, he helped her too. He'd stood up, walking up the tree until he was an arm's length away from her and held both of her hands.

"Right."

"Left."

"Right."

"Left."

Step by step, foot by foot, he walked backwards up the tree as he called out to her which foot to move. Step by step, foot by foot, she moved in time with him. She didn't know how long it took. She didn't know how far she made it. All she could focus on was the sensation of her chakra flowing out beneath her feet and the blond boy who held her hands and guided her along.

Then, they did it in reverse. He walked forwards, guiding her back down the tree.

"Left."

"Right."

"Left."

"Right."

"Ground."

By the time she'd reached the ground, she was panting and sweating, her cheeks flushed as a minor case of chakra exhaustion made her body burn in protest. He'd then pointed up at the tree, her eyes instinctively following the trajectory of his hand. Somehow, he'd managed to mark the bark of the tree. A thin, yet distinct line carved its way across the diameter of the tree, marking her progress.

"_Halfway up,"_ she thought.

Everyday after that point, he would join her, just off to the side and watching as she slowly walked up the tree, focusing on every step. When she reached the top, three days later, he'd clapped for her. In her elation, she'd smiled at him.

And just like that, he was gone again, back to his own training regimen. Now, he was teaching her how to waterwalk using the same method. Though he still had to hold her hands five days into their little routine, every step she took was more confident, far less shaky than when she'd first stepped onto the shallow waters of a meandering creek.

Her loss of focus caused her to focus to slip, plunging her bare foot into the cool water below.

"Gah!" She squeaked out in shock as her foot was chilled by several degrees in a few short seconds. Her shock disrupted the steady current of chakra she was pumping through her feet, sending her other foot into the water as well.

Thankfully, the water was only ankle deep.

"I think that's enough for today 'Tsuki-chan." What? "You've been going at it for two hours. You'll be low on chakra soon."

_"Two hours?"_ Looking up at the sky, she soon found his words to be true. In her thoughts, she hadn't realized that time had flown by without her notice.

"Fine," she muttered. With that, she jumped onto his back, making him yelp in surprise. "Tired. Piggyback ride."

She really wasn't tired. Enough said.

"Do I look like a horse to you-ttebayo?"

"No." As Naruto leaned down to pick up her ninja sandals, she finished her thought. "Horses don't give piggyback rides."

* * *

**Heeyyyyyyyy. Ya boi doing an author's note after forever. This is a filler chapter that I've been working on and off for a bit. I have a layout for what I want chapter 8 to be, and it'll be battle-heavy. Anyways, read, react, review.**

**Smile and have a nice day!**


	8. Power Struggles

**Date: Mar 12, 2020**  
**AYYYYY. Ya boy back from the dead! Sorry for the long delay in uploads everyone. I had big plans for this chapter, but it sort of fell flat because I kept going back and forth on the fight scenes and what I wanted to do with Naruto, which had been moved onto the next scene. There are like 5k words that I kept writing, cutting out, then rewriting because I didn't like the way the scene played out or for whatever reason. So there's a Google Doc with 5k words of just clipped scenes that had been intended for this chapter or the next.**

**Review cornerrrr! I'm finally acknowledging the people who review my storyyyy!**

**strongmonkeypawn: Thanks for the words of encouragement and understanding! There'll be a few filler chapters here and there to develop the characters and interpersonal connections, but the next chapter'll be a pretty major plot point.**

**strongnuggets: ;)**  
**Motherfucker reviewed me with a smile. You getting a wink back.**

**Fadli546: You don't already love the story, boss?**

**Guest: "Pretty sure i just got diabetes"**  
**Oh yea. I wrote chapter 7 so sweet, pretty sure my blood is just pure maple syrup at this point.**

**Chrolloz: Poor Naruto. But let's be honest, having five pretty girls cooing over you and playing with your cheeks isn't the worst thing that could happen to you. You know he enjoyed it.**

**BlackDragonShinigami: Some pretty high praise to call it one of the best fillers. Big thanks! Miko and Kagura will be coming back, but for the most part, they keep their distance to let Naruto live his second life, as free of as many manipulations that had determined his previous one.**

**Darth56: I think I will "keep it up." But I don't have anything planned, so updates? SPORADIC.**

**Seros109: Brah, my GP is not gonna be happy with my ass. Pretty sure I gave myself diabetus with how sweet the chapter was. I have a few that I want in the harem, won't say who since spoilers, but not every girl will have a romantic relationship with him. For the most part, the girls that interact with him right now are at best platonic and at worst, neutral. The Ice Queens got to play with his cheeks and whiskers because he's cute, not for any other reason.**

**Vince Basile Jr: (Potential spoiler so read this review after you read the chapter) I think you'll realize through this chapter that Naruto physically develops a lot more quickly than he's supposed to, so he'll be at the age of his death in a few short years, around the time he starts the Academy. I don't know about Tsunade being in the harem though. She 's just too old for the pairing to work if you want them to be in romantic and understanding relationship**

**Time Parad0x: Okay, Izumi introduced herself as Itachi because that is what her mask is. While wearing the ANBU mask, one's identity is stripped away, leaving only the name of the animal as the operative's identifier. In this case, it's Itachi (Weasel).**

**Neko isn't a proper sensor. True sensors are much closer to Karin, who is a special case given her bloodline, than they are to Neko. Neko's ability to sense stems from the idea that chakra could be used to expand a person's field of perception, using their chakra to _feel_ the environment, which comes at the cost of either using a hand seal or great concentration.**

**Yea, Danzō the asshole isn't a sensor.**

**I won't be doing mental gymnastics to match Naruto with every fucking kunoichi out there. One, this isn't a Pokémon playthrough, collecting as many girls as possible. Two, there are a couple of girls that Naruto could be paired with if I decide to let them participate in the Chūnin Exams and play with their age a little bit. Already fucked with Yūgao's age, so that isn't impossible in this fanfic. I like the idea of Temari being in the harem, not gonna lie. MIGHT happen.**

**tadkins: I was giggling the whole time I was writing Chapter 7. Like, this was too cute. There will be more cute moments!**

**Inzaneamaru: Naruto still a war veteran, so yea. He won't be all fun and games. Just wait till next chapter. He won't be in the Academy yet, but he'll still clap some cheeks.**

**TheMostCasualObserver: Same! I love redo fics and the potential they have, even if the trope is a bit overdone. **

**For everyone who gave me a short review saying that you loved Chapter 7, thank you. It really means a lot to me, a real confidence booster, to know that there are people who love my story and look forward to the next chapter update.**

**On with the story: Read, React, Review!**

Chapter 8: Power Struggles

Izumi Uchiha was faced with a problem, one that she couldn't quite solve. And it all revolved around a certain blond haired boy.

Naruto Uzumaki's birthday was coming up.

And she didn't know what to get him.

Naruto is soon to be eight years old, marking an important step in the lives of most youngsters in the Elemental Nations as that is the time that most would be attending the Academy as the future generation of shinobi and kunoichi. While Naruto and the rest of his peers wouldn't be attending the Academy for another four years, it was still a milestone she wanted to celebrate with him and the rest of her - their - family.

"Izumi-chan? Are you there?"

Blinking in surprise and internally berating herself for her lack of external awareness, she looked at her purple haired friend in askance.

"You've been staring off into space for a few minutes."

"It's nothing." She waved off her friend's concern. "I'm just thinking about Naruto's upcoming birthday and what I want to get him."

"His birthday?" Yūgao asked. "Well, don't hold out on me. What are you going to get him?"

"I don't know."

The two are wandering about the market district, visiting vendor after vendor, store after store, looking for something to get their favorite blond.

"Have you thought about what you're going to get him?" Izumi turned the question around on Yūgao, smiling at the way her friend sputtered and blushed in embarrassment.

"I… uh… I don't know either."

"You don't know what you're getting your best male friend for his birthday? That's not like you, Yū-chan." Izumi smirked at her friend, purposefully using Naruto's nickname for her to drive the point home.

"It's hard! I mean, what does Naruto even want?!"

"Jutsus," Izumi deadpanned. "That's all Naruto seems to care about. That, and training."

Outside of their training sessions together, Naruto doesn't seem to do much else. When their morning sessions end, she would often lose track of him as he went about his business, seeing neither hide nor hair of him until the evening, when they would eat dinner with the rest of the family. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that he spends that time training within the forests or in the training grounds, given how scuffed and dirty his clothes are when he comes home.

But no matter how much he trains or how dirty he gets, he always seems… unsatisfied. She couldn't help but frown at that. Naruto is as friendly and easy going as they come, yet he seemed so driven, so motivated to train.

The question is: what is he training for?

If he is truly training to become stronger, why was he holding back so much during their spars? His taijutsu style, while strange and seems ungainly to the naked eye, is actually quite versatile. Yet, there so many strikes that seem to just… miss?

With her Sharingan active, there were just so many punches and kicks that just veered off course, almost like he intended for them to hit yet they don't. She didn't even have to move out of the way for most of them since they clearly missed by a wide enough margin that his fist wouldn't even graze her nose.

So why use these attacks in the first place if they weren't going to hit?

"Really?" That was news for Yūgao. "He doesn't seem like the type to focus solely on training. Are you sure?"

"If he doesn't have to rest, I wouldn't doubt that he'd never stop training." Izumi sighed. "What am I going to do with him? He seems so obsessed with it. Not even Maito Gai is this passionate about training!"

"Have you talked to him about it?" Yūgao didn't want to show it, but she was concerned. The last time there was someone so obsessed with something within Konoha, he ended up becoming a nukenin whose infamy is only surpassed by Madara Uchiha.

"I've tried to, but he always avoids the topic." She hated admitting it to anyone, herself included, but her student is a mystery. "I don't know what to do with him, Yū-chan. What would I even do about it even if he told me?"

"Send him to Inoichi? Get him some counseling. Who knows what having no one in his life during his early years could have done to his psyche."

Her heart went out to their favorite blond at the mention of her apprentice's condition and his upbringing. Just imagining her little sister in place of Naruto, ostracized and cut off from any sort of family, made her stomach clench in sorrow and her heart burn with rage. No child should ever be treated like that.

"He wouldn't like it one bit."

"I know he wouldn't, but it would be in his best interests." The two stepped into the a shinobi supply store, one they've frequented before, looking around the shop in search of something that would make a fitting present for Naruto's upcoming birthday.

"I don't know, Yūgao, but I'll talk to him first. Then we'll see where we go from there."

"Izumi-san! Yūgao-san! Welcome to Shining Steel!"

The two girls smiled and waved at the shop owner, a retired shinobi of about middle age. His graying black hair is neatly trimmed in a buzz cut. Sometime during his shinobi career, he'd lost his right eye, proudly bearing the scar that cut from his eyebrow and down to his cheek. A black eyepatch hides the destroyed eye for the sake of his more squeamish customers. Wearing the jōnin uniform, missing the vest and forehead protector that would denote him as an active shinobi, the man cut an impressive and imposing figure with his broad frame, square jaw, and imposing features. His remaining eye held a bright gleam of intelligence, something one might not expect from such an imposing, almost muscle-bound figure.

"Good morning, Hiroto-san," the two girls responded.

"What can I do for you today?" Straight to the point, as always.

"Yūgao and I are looking for presents for Naruto. His birthday is coming up."

"Ah. What do you have in mind?" Hiroto gestures to the display of weapons in front of him and along the walls. "Weapons?"

"No. He's set for now. No armour sets yet. He's still growing."

Hiroto nodded in understanding. From the brief glimpses he's had of the boy over the years, Naruto had somehow grown up so quickly that the only way he'd managed to recognize him is through the shock of bright yellow hair.

"Well, perhaps he might like something that doesn't have to do with the life of a shinobi. Does he have any interest in jewellry?"

Right off the bat, Izumi wanted to say "no." Naruto has shown practically no open interest in anything other than training, eating ramen and more training. However, a short memory stayed her tongue.

"Oh? Have you thought of something, Izumi-chan?" Yūgao could recognize that look of thoughtfulness anywhere.

"Yea… maybe." Izumi murmured.

"So which is it?" Yūgao couldn't help but tease her, enjoying the normally self-assured girl's uncertainty when it comes to Naruto.

"Sometimes, for the briefest moments, I would catch a glimpse of Naruto doing this." She mimed the action she'd seen him perform on a few rare occasions. "He would reach for something around his chest, just in front of his solar plexus, only to put his hand back down, like he'd just realized what he was doing."

"Hmm. A necklace perhaps?" Hiroto supplied. "Some of my friends have done that before. The most likely reason for it is that they're reaching for an object, something of great personal value or great comfort, only to realize that it's no longer there."

"A necklace?" Izumi pondered the idea. Though she agreed with his assessment of what it could be given her understanding of human psychology, she couldn't help but shoot it down. "But I've never seen him with a necklace before, not even when he first moved in with us."

Yūgao nodded in agreement. She'd never seen Naruto have any sort of jewellery before and she's been watching over him since he was but a babe.

"Then I don't know. Perhaps it's simply a habit." Izumi would have agreed and let the subject lie, but a thought, an idea, made her speak up.

"Do you have any necklaces on hand?"

With a nod, Hiroto reached down beneath the counter and pulled out a series of lacquered wood boxes. Laying out a total of seven boxes across the counter, he started with the first one, a shiny, dark mahogany.

"This one was commissioned a long time ago, but the young man who had commissioned it never returned from a mission gone wrong." The two girls nodded along grimly as Hiroto slid the box's top off, revealing a small, but triangular metal prism, adorned with the symbol of the Senju Clan.

"May I?" Izumi asked, reaching out for the necklace.

With Hiroto's approval, she gently takes the simple necklace from the box's velvet lining. In spite of its simple appearance, the pendant and its black leather cord is incredibly eye catching. Carefully rotating the pendant, showing off the intricate metal that weaved in and out of the prism's surface to Yūgao.

"Wow! Did you make this, Hiroto-san?"

"Ha!" The burly man nodded. "I have quite the eye for detail." The two girls took a moment to deadpan at the man, clearly not impressed by the joke. "Hmm. Tough crowd."

"What do you think, Izumi-chan? I kind of like it, but it's not really Naruto." Yūgao gave the necklace another once over.

"Mm. The simple shape would work for Naruto, just not the intricate weave." Setting the necklace back into its case and closing it. "Let's see a few more before we decide anything."

So, the trio continued their perusal through Shining Steel's seven best necklaces. The rest of the necklaces were either far too personal or complex for Naruto, who they thought wouldn't be one for all the intricate detail on some of them. That was, until they reached the last one.

"This one," Hiroto began as he opened the seventh and final case, "was designed to mimic the Shodai's famous necklace, worn by Tsunade Senju." As soon as the box was opened, both girls could see the resemblance between the necklace in front of them and the famed gem of the Shodai Hokage. "Like the original, this is also made of a special type of crystal from Yama no Kuni (Land of Mountains) that reacts to chakra, though it holds no special abilities like that of the Shodai's crystal gem." To demonstrate, Hiroto trickles a small amount of chakra into the gem, making it luminesce a faint blue light.

"Whoa. That's gorgeous!"

Izumi nodded in agreement with her friend. The gem seemed to be radiating with an inner light, a subtle, but noticeable blue-green light that seemed to ebb and flow.

"That's beautiful, but what would happen if Naruto wore it?"

"What do you mean, Izumi-san?" Hiroto asked, confused by her question.

"Naruto's chakra isn't blue, it's a bright yellow orange, so what would happen if the crystal was in the presence of his chakra?"

Hiroto actually didn't know the answer to that one. Most people's chakra, if it ever became visible or were observed through the Byakugan, were some shade of blue. So far, he's only witnessed the crystal react to the average chakra color.

"I don't know."

Izumi was definitely interested in solving that mystery, but she will have to leave it for another day. She was here on a mission and she'll be damned if she doesn't have a necklace in mind for Naruto before she leaves.

"What do you think Yū-chan?"

The purplette responded to her by adopting a thoughtful look and opening up the first jewellery box.

"What if we combined the first and the last one?"

The idea had some merit, but it has some problems, as Hiroto immediately pointed out to them. Encasing the gem within a metallic prism would only hinder the light it could cast, while finding a gem and working it so you could fit an entire triangular prism in it would take far too long.

"Hmm. So fitting the gem inside a prism would be easier than both making a new gem prism and fitting a prism inside a gem?" When Hiroto nodded, she asked for a pen and paper. "What if we do this?"

The next few hours were completely dedicated to hashing out the details on Izumi's design for the necklace while Yūgao pitched in, giving thoughts and ideas here and there.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The week had passed by quickly, but not quickly enough for Izumi. She had just returned from Shining Steel, her present to Naruto wrapped and hidden within the pockets of her clothes. A loose-fitting blue battle kimono, trimmed in white, reached the middle of her shins. Black ANBU pants and long sleeve shirt hid her pale skin from the sun's glare. Her hair, held in its signature low ponytail, reached the middle of her back, fluffing out past the small scrunchie that held her hair together. As she aged, some of her wardrobe had changed, dropping the tomboyish shirt and shorts for more conservative, loose fitting clothes. She wasn't against showing skin, really. She just liked the style more.

_"And they're a lot more comfortable,"_ she mused, stretching to stretch out the kinks in her back. _"Puberty is such a hassle."_

She couldn't wait for the changes to stop. Having to deal with constant tenderness, cramps and overall discomfort everyday is getting to be annoying.

"_Do boys have to go through this when they hit puberty?"_ She was kind of curious.

"Tadaima (I'm home)!" She called out as she entered the home, smiling as Satsuki poked her head out from the corridor.

"Nee-chan!"

"Little Moon." No matter how old she got, Satsuki will always be her little moon.

Satsuki had grown admirably since Naruto had joined their little family. She was far more willing to eat her vegetables and anything else their mother wanted her to eat. Of course, this was only caused by her need to compete with Naruto in the height department.

Much like her older sister, Satsuki had opted for a more tomboyish look, with red-trimmed white shorts and a blue shirt bearing the Uchiha gunbai on its breast. Her hair, however, is kept in a long, flowing mane of raven hair, reaching the middle of her back. A silver crescent moon hair clip kept the locks from covering her eyes.

Hmm. The back of her head kind of looks like a certain bird's derriere...

"Che." There it is, that habitual sound. "You don't have to keep calling me that, you know. I'm not a little kid anymore."

"You'll always be my Little Moon." Izumi bent down and kissed her sister on the head. "Where is Okā-sama?"

"She's by the koi pond, looking over reports from the clan," Satsuki answered as she walked hand-in-hand with her older sister, somewhat embarrassed by the kiss. "Did you get his present?"

"Mmhmm," Izumi hummed happily. "It's very pretty."

"Can I see?" Ever the curious child, Satsuki pulled on her sister's sleeve with her free hand.

"Hmm." Izumi then looked around, hoping that the birthday boy wouldn't come looking for her. "Okay." Leaning down, she quickly took out the necklace and showed it to her sister. "What do you think?"

"It's… a necklace." For the most part, her little sister didn't look impressed. "For a boy." Kami, her little sister is a snarky little twerp.

"Well, it's my present for him." She punctuated it by flicking her sister's nose.

"Ow!"

"At least it's not a bunch of jutsu scrolls," Izumi mocked.

"Hm! All he cares about is jutsus, so I got Otō-sama to write down a few jutsus for him. What about it?"

"A present has to have a personal touch, 'Tsuki-chan," chided the older girl, turning away from her sister and walking towards the back of the house. "I could give Naruto jutsus whenever he is training with me, so I wanted to give him something meaningful for his birthday."

"'Meaningful?'"

"Like that hair clip that he got you for your birthday." Izumi smiled and pointed at the moon crescent in her sister's hair. Ever since she's received it, her little sister has worn it practically every day.

"It's just a hair clip."

"Then why do you wear it every day?" She didn't have to look to know her little sister was embarrassed.

"Hmm." Her little sister gave a dismissive, slightly embarrassed Uchiha hum. "Is that why you polish that pair of tessen he got you everyday? Because it's meaningful?"

This time, it was her turn to be embarrassed. Like Satsuki had stated, she had spent practically every day looking over the gift Naruto had given her for her fifteenth birthday four months ago.

To say his gift is beautiful would be crass and a disservice to the magnificence of the weapons he'd given her.

Each tessen was slightly bigger than recommended for someone of her stature, meaning they were intended for her when she finished developing. The frame of the fan is made of a jet-black metal so dark it appeared to absorb any light cast on it. The handle, wrapped in dark red cloth, made for the perfect grip. The rivet used to hold the fan blades together is a Sharingan pattern she's never seen before: a red backdrop held a shuriken with three curving blades. Each rivet held together the fan, which consisted of six metal ribs, each ending in a blade, reminiscent of a spearhead.

Along the outermost metal ribs, her name うちはイズミ(Uchiha Izumi) is etched into the black metal in brilliant red and encased in glass within the metal of both fans. When unfurled, the special waterproof fabric that makes up the leaves of the fan unveil a tapestry of detail so complex and intricate, she had been tempted to use the Sharingan to learn every detail.

A black sakura tree stood at the center of the tapestry, amidst a blood red background. Upon closer inspection, she had been shocked to see the finer details of the sakura tree. Every "leaf" is actually a crow perched upon the branches of the cherry tree. Every falling leaf, a minute feather. A perfect snapshot of the world frozen in time.

Without a doubt, it is the most beautiful set of tessen she had ever seen in her life, perfectly suited for and representative of her, if a little strange given the rivet's design. She thought they were perfect before she turned them over.

On the back of the left fan, 家族 (kazoku) is etched down the length of blackened metal.

_Family._

On the back of the right fan, 無我 (muga) is etched down the length of blackened metal.

_Self-sacrifice._

For the first time since she'd lost her friend, Tenma Izumo to that masked nin, she cried. In her tears, she nearly dropped the beautiful pair of fans, nearly ruining the most perfect present she had ever received.

"Izumi?" She looked up through tear-stained eyes. "Are you alright? Do… do you not like them?"

Her student. Oh her silly little student.

"No," she'd said as she swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Oh." The disappointment had been so apparent on his face that it was heartbreaking to see.

"I love them," she had whispered.

She gave him no time to think about her response, pulling him into a hug. Well, more like, she pulled herself into his arms for a hug. Somehow, somewhen, her student had grown taller than her.

Guess he isn't so little anymore.

"Thank you," she tearfully whispered, "for the gift and for being an amazing student."

Just remembering that evening those four months ago made her cheeks blush in embarrassment. She had never shown such a degree of emotion to anyone, not even her parents.

Her mother wouldn't stop teasing her about it either!

Even her father - her _father_! - had complimented the gift in private after lecturing her about such an open display of emotions.

"Yes, Satsuki-chan." She smiled down at her sister, feeling no need to hide the blush on her cheeks. "Naruto's gift is _very_ meaningful."

"Izumi-chan," Mikoto Uchiha called out to her daughter, looking up from the few reports she had on hand as they passed through the door frame to the backyard. "Did you get his present?"

"Hai, kā-chan." Pulling out the jewellery box, she showed off the small mahogany box that held her present for Naruto. "It's right here."

"Oh. Jewellery? Are you sure that's a good present for him?" Mikoto wasn't disapproving of the gift, only curious.

"I… I don't know." That caught her mother's attention like nothing else.

"You… don't know?" If Mikoto remembered correctly, that's the first time that she'd ever heard her daughter admit to not knowing something. "You weren't sure, yet you still got it for him?" Izumi nodded.

"It was just a hunch." Her mother wasn't satisfied with such a cryptic answer, nodding her head for Izumi to elaborate. "Sometimes, he'd reach up and grab for something around his neck, like he's looking for a necklace."

"A… necklace?" Even her mother seemed confused by the prospect. "I've never seen Naruto wearing any kind of necklace, not since he's moved in with us."

"And neither has Yūgao seen him with anything of the sort."

"I see." Mikoto rolled up the scroll in her hand. "And our birthday boy is still out training?" Unlike her youngest daughter, she is willing to wait the next few hours to see the necklace her eldest had decided was worthy of the resident blond.

"You know how he is, kā-chan." Izumi sits down beside her mother, obviously annoyed by her student's nearly one-track mind. "He's driven." She frowned. "Almost too driven."

"I know," her mother stated. "There are days where I wonder if we haven't been too late. If we had acted sooner, would he be like this?" Mikoto kept an eye on her youngest, who had wandered across the pond to practice her shurikenjutsu. "You know about his condition, don't you?"

"Of course. The village doesn't exactly make it a secret." And for that, she couldn't help but be angry at the Sandaime. "It's difficult being what he is. It's no life for a child, let alone an orphan. But you suspect that he's so driven to train because he wishes to prove himself? But who would he be proving himself to?"

"To us." Mikoto turned to face Izumi, patiently smiling. "He doesn't want to be seen as a burden. You might not know it, but Naruto and his clones have been helping around the house more often than not, even on days when he's dead on his feet after training from sun up to sun down."

Izumi smiled. Clearly, Naruto is rather thoughtful, though she had already known that from the pair of tessen he'd gotten her.

"Strong, thoughtful, knows how to help around the house, and has the stamina to train all day? You'd better stake your claim first, before any other young ladies take notice, Izumi-chan."

"K-Kā-chan!"

"At least you've already got a head start. A sensei and her student; how scandalous!"

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Rather than having a big party, Naruto's eighth birthday is a quiet affair. Mikoto had cooked a large dinner, far more than she would normally cook for the family of five. Tofu, miso soup, tempura, and, for the special occasion, ramen. Izumi and Satsuki were eager to show the blond their gifts. Even Shisui had dropped by, wishing Naruto a happy birthday before taking off for his ANBU assignments.

To the surprise of literally no one in the household, Naruto and Shisui had gotten along swimmingly well when they'd first met not two years ago when Shisui had visited his uncle's family. Alongside Izumi, Shisui taught Naruto survival techniques and tracking methods. The two males had gotten along so swimmingly that the rest of the family had joked that they were brothers, something they'd taken to heart as Naruto had started calling Shisui "nii-san."

And now, the family had sat down for dinner, yet everyone had noticed that Naruto wasn't as lively as usual. His bright blue eyes a little dull, his smile a little forced. It wasn't too obvious, yet still noticeable to the family that has grown to know him so well.

Even Satsuki knew something was off, yet she couldn't quite tell what it was.

Once dinner was finished, with Naruto somehow putting away the spread of food that Mikoto had made for his birthday, it was time for the presents. Satsuki was the first to present her gifts to the birthday boy.

"Happy birthday."

Scrolls in hand and uncharacteristically timid, she'd handed them to Naruto without preamble.

"Thanks, 'Tsuki-chan." Naruto gratefully took the scrolls in hand, briefly skimming through the names of the jutsus written on the side. "Let's learn them together, ne?"

"Yea..."

Smiling at the cute, yet painfully awkward interactions between her sister and her student, Izumi gently poked her sister's cheek.

"You two can train together tomorrow if you want." Izumi took the lacquered box from within the folds of her kimono. "This is a gift from me and Yūgao-chan. Happy birthday, Naruto-kun."

Watching Naruto hold the box that held his gift, Izumi couldn't help but feel anxious. What would he think of her gift? Was it too girly? Too personal? Would he think she's been spying on him?

"Wow." Any doubts of whether or not he liked it were squashed as Naruto carefully removed the necklace from the box's velvet lining. "It's beautiful, sensei."

Naruto's necklace is a simple silver pendant, a triangular prism, hanging from a leather cord. On one end of the triangular prism, it bears a silver loop for the leather cord to string through. On the other end, the Uzumaki swirl is etched into the surface of the metal.

"Twist the bottom of the prism, Naruto."

With a careful twist and a quiet click, the bottom popped away from the rest of the metallic pendant. Encased within a lattice of metal which sliding along the edges of the prism is a small teal crystal.

"It's a chakra crystal."

Before Izumi could further explain it, Naruto had already channeled his chakra into the gem. Instead of reacting with the light blue it had displayed when exposed to Izumi's chakra, the crystal bathed the room in a warm yellow light upon contact with Naruto's chakra.

From afar, it would appear as if Naruto held the very sun within his hands.

"Whoa!"

"Sugoi!"

"It's beautiful."

"Hm."

Smiling widely, Naruto twists the bottom of the prism back into place with a soft click. Like before, he began pouring chakra into the pendant, letting the reactive crystal's light shine through the glass kanji along the faces of the prism.

The glass-lined kanji along the faces of the prism glowed with an ethereal light, dancing like the flickering flames of a campfire.

Cut into the three rectangular faces of the prism are three sets of kanji. His given name, ナルト (Naruto), is etched along one side while his clan name, うずまき (Uzumaki), is etched on an adjacent face. On the final surface, 気力 (kiryoku) completes the etchings upon the silver pendant.

_Inner strength._

"Here, let me."

She didn't know why she offered, but she doesn't regret it. With gentle hands and seamless movements, she removed the necklace from his hands. Threading the black leather cord through dexterous fingers, she held out the necklace.

Naruto took it as he cue, slowly leaning down and forwards as Izumi slid the leather cord around his neck. Because of the height difference that had developed between the two, when Naruto leaned down, their faces had come dangerously close together.

Izumi could feel his warm breath ghosting across her lips. She could feel the heat of his face against her fair skin despite the distance between them.

And just like that, he pulled away, leaving her skin exposed to the cool air once more.

"How do I look sensei?"

With his foxy smirk, electric blue eyes and the softly glowing pendant, she could only answer in earnest.

"Dashing."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

That was a month ago.

"It should not be a woman who leads the Uchiha clan!"

Izumi bit back a sigh of annoyance. Ever since her mother had taken up the position of clan head, there have been many who have opposed her representation of their clan, all of whom her mother has defeated in combat.

For many of the Uchiha Clan, women were mothers and caretakers first, kunoichi second. This has always been the way within the clan, long before the founding of the village, long before Madara Uchiha was clan head. Once an Uchiha woman is married, she resigns from the active shinobi force and becomes a full-time homemaker.

A housewife.

It was a fate Izumi didn't look forward to, though she doubted there was any one, male or otherwise, who could force her to do anything of the sort. She hates needless death and violence, yes, but as long as there is conflict, she will always be the first to take up arms to protect her home and the people she loves.

The clan member who had openly voiced his dissent against her mother's position as clan head is Ryuk, a brown-haired, narrow-jawed idiot who is the stereotypical representation of her clan: stubborn, prideful, and overly-reliant upon his Sharingan.

A jōnin in strength and skill, most of which wasn't his own, he is definitely strong, but his ego far outstrips the strength he holds. Still, Mikoto is still out of practice given the years she's spent out of the force taking care of her daughter. And in the life of a ninja, one mistake, one lucky hit, is all it takes to determine a battle.

Victory or defeat.

Life or death.

"Che. And you think your dumb ass could do better?"

Although she remained outwardly stoic, she was inwardly delighted when Naruto came to her mother's defense.

"Stay out of this, brat! You have no say in the proceedings of a clan you're not a part of."

"On the contrary, Naruto has every right to speak his mind within these meetings." Mikoto declared. "Adopted into my family, Naruto is as much an Uchiha as he is an Uzumaki."

She wouldn't admit it out loud, but she enjoyed the way Ryuk fumed. Seeing idiots getting put into their place is always enjoyable. Out of the corner of her eye, she could tell that the rest of her family was thinking the same thing.

"Regardless, his input is neither required nor wanted."

"I don't care if you want to hear my opinion or not, idiot! You openly insult Mikoto-oba-chan and expect me to tear you a new one?!"

"Like you could hold your own against a jōnin. Adopted into the clan head's family or not, you're still an orphan,weak and unwanted by your parents."

Izumi and the rest of her family were more than ready to weave a thousand genjutsus on the cocky bastard and cook him like rotisserie chicken when Naruto spoke up.

"You sure got a lotta balls for limp dick coward who would mock the dead." Never before had she ever seen Naruto like this. His blue eyes, which had been so warm and playful before, are now cold and dangerous, like two shards of ice. "Why don't we take this to a training ground and see if you have the bite to back up all that bark-ttebayo?"

"Hm. I have no need to fight a child."

_Poof!_

"Buwk buwk buwk!"

A gold feathered chicken wearing a facsimile of Ryuk's brown mop took Naruto's place. Even many of the clan seemed amused by the blond's antics, though their Uchiha pride kept them from bursting into raucous laughter.

Even her father was amused, though it was nearly unnoticeable behind the mask of stoicism.

Her sister had failed to stifle a giggle and was currently hiding her smile behind her hand. Then again, her shoulders were shaking and the corners of her eyes were crinkled in obvious levity so hiding her smile wasn't exactly the most effective method of masking her amusement.

"Naruto."

"Buwk?" The Naruto-bird hopped onto her lap, neatly tucking his legs into her lap.

Cute.

"This would be a good opportunity to test your abilities against someone else." Izumi turned to her mother. "Okā-sama. May Naruto represent you in combat until such a time that you wish to fight once more?"

From the corner of her eye, she could see Naruto-bird attempting to persuade her mother with the Puppy Dog Eyes Jutsu, which is shockingly effective given his bright blue eyes. Even if he has that disgusting mop of brown on his head.

"I will allow it." She raised a hand, stopping many dissenting voices in their tracks. "However, I will personally fight you, Ryuk-san if there are still dissenters among you. However, I still wish to see the fruits of Naruto's training with my daughter. Should Naruto-kun win, then you will face me again once you have fully recovered to quell any further grievances you may have against me. Should you win, Ryuk-san, then I will step down as the head of the Uchiha Clan."

"Hm. So be it. My pride will demand nothing less than a crushing victory against someone who has so openly mocked me." Ryuk glared at blond-turned-bird, as if wishing the blond would combust into flames.

"Buwk!" Naruto-bird hopped out of her lap and ran to her mother, using his wings to hug the Uchiha matriarch, ecstatic with the faith she has shown in him.

"I know you can do it, Naruto-kun."

Having received the encouragement he needed from her mother, she watched as Naruto approached her father. Empty black met with hopeful blue, as man and chicken stared one another down. The stalemate was only broken when Fugaku nodded his head at her student. Naruto, in turn, bowed to her father.

It would have been funny if it hadn't been so monumental: her father had just entrusted the responsibility of protecting his family to Naruto!

In chicken form.

She would have snorted, but the idea of getting lectured by her father about being so unladylike was unappealing so she kept her amusement to herself.

"Good luck, Naru-kun."

Her apprentice had taken his place in Satsuki's arms, which is, quite possibly, the cutest thing she had ever seen. It would have been the cutest, no contest, were it not for the disgusting brown mess on the bird's head. Her student is supposed to be a blond, not a brunette.

"I'm not carrying you."

"Buwk!"

"Piggyback."

"Buwk…"

"Now."

_Poof!_

"You're so mean, 'Tsuki-chan."

This time, Izumi was forced to hide her giggle behind her hand as the incredibly tall eight year old bent his knee and carried her little sister on his back to the training ground. With his Henge (Transformation) dispelled, the mop of brown replaced by his spiky, brilliant shock of woven sunlight.

All is right with the world once more.

"Hm. No self-respecting male would ever bow down to the whims of a woman."

"And no self-respecting male would diss the gender that gave birth to him!"

Apparently, that statement alone earned Naruto quite a few brownie points with many of the Uchiha women present.

"They are the weaker sex! The weak shall bow to the strong!"

"And Tsunade Senju will finger flick you across Hi no Kuni. You wanna say that to her face-ttebayo?!"

Uchiha or not, everyone knew of the last Senju's proclivity for solving her problems with violence. This, along with her inhuman strength, even by shinobi standards, made her a person you never wanted to cross. Even Ryuk seems to know that judging by the way his back stiffened and his skin blanched.

"Exactly. Now shut up until we get to the training ground."

Taking the lull in conversation between the combatants as her cue to talk to her student, Izumi walked alongside him and her sister.

"Hey, sensei!"

"You had better not hold back, Naruto-kun."

"Sensei?" She could see the apprehension in his eyes. Those damned blue eyes. Always so expressive.

"I know you've been holding back in your training. So unless you want me to beat it out of you in our next training session, you had better stop holding back." She gave a faint, overly sweet smile, one that practically every woman knew from the moment of birth. "If you hold back, your ramen intake goes from sporadic to zero. Understood?"

"Y-Yes, ma'am!"

_"Too easy!"_

"We're here. Will the combatants take their places?" A brown haired woman - Akiko, if Izumi remembered correctly - calmly stated.

Naruto allowed his arms to slacken, slightly dropping Satsuki, who performed a back handspring to her feet.

"You'd better win, baka."

"Mah mah. You worry too much. No wonder you're still so short."

"Che!" Her sister swiped at the blond jokester, who danced away, just out of her reach.

"Alright!" Naruto yelled out in exuberance. "Let's get this show on the road and beat this little piggy into the ground so I can get some victory ramen." The happy-go-lucky smile on his face turned savage as he stared down his victim. "Since sensei said I can't hold back, you'd better bring your A-game."

Ryuk scoffed. Trained by Izumi, one of the clan's best or not, there was no way this brat was going to beat him.

"Are both combatants ready?" Met with two confident nods, the battle commenced. "Hajime!"

**"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu! (Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!)"**

Spitting out an impressive fireball, the jōnin expected one of two things to happen: the calling of a jutsu or the blond boy jumping out of the way from the jutsu's path. Instead, nothing happened.

_Boom!_

From his perspective, it was as if the fireball had erased the boy's very existence, kicking up a cloud of dust and debris that blocked everything from view.

"Impressive, _Ryuk-kun_."

The voice that drifted from the cloud of debris wasn't the confident, but child-like sound of the boy who had disappeared behind the fireball. It is seductive, holding a purring quality that made the skin of those who heard it tingle with pleasure.

"But Mikoto-oba-chan's fireballs are a lot _hotter_," the voice continued.

Everyone openly stared at the person who emerged from the settling cloud of debris. Gone was the spiky shock of sunkissed blond. Gone was the Uchiha style clothing. Gone was the tall boy who had taunted the jōnin.

In his place stood a _girl_. At approximately one hundred sixty-three centimeters (sixty four inches), the beautiful blond is the height of sex appeal. Her long, untamed blonde hair is tied up into a high ponytail with two locks of hair reaching down to her jaw, framing her heart-shaped face. Bright blue eyes, half-lidded and teasing, looked at the jōnin like a lioness would her prey. The rugged whiskers are now three faint sets of lines on her cheeks, adding a touch of cuteness to her already attractive face.

Garbed in black, form-fitting ANBU pants that end at her calves and a grey long-sleeved shirt, the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, neither article of clothing could hide her mile-long legs and curving hips nor the ample bust straining against her top. Her sheathed wakizashi rested across the small of her back, just above her flaring hips. Metal-plated fingerless gloves and black, heeled shinobi sandals completed the look of a competent kunoichi.

Appealing, yet geared for battle.

"W-What is that abomination?" Ryuk was still stunned by the appearance of the sensual blonde.

"Oh, don't be like that, Ryuk-kun." With a seductively cute pout, the blonde flicked her ponytail. "You said that women were the weaker gender. Well, wouldn't it be poetic justice for a girl to beat you?"

"Hm. Male or female, you will not be able to defeat me!"

"Is that so?" Her smile turned teasing, almost cocky. "Well, let me show you a _real_ fireball."

Snake. Ram. Monkey. Boar. Horse. Tiger.

Everyone could feel the minute hairs on their skin stand at attention as they felt the blonde kunoichi build up her chakra. Ryuk's chakra build up had been a quick shift of the life energy that flows through his body, like the currents of a river. This female Naruto's chakra moulding felt like the shifting of entire oceans.

**"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu! (Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!)"**

When the blonde exhaled, releasing the moulded chakra, there was a moment - a single instant - when the world stood still, acknowledging an entity whose power comes from the very world itself.

A shockwave spawned as she breathed out, blasting away the cloud of black dust and dirt left over from Ryuk's detonated fireball. Licking tongues white flickered to life, only to expand in the weak atmospheric pressure. What was once a tiny flame ballooned into a sphere of roiling, coiling flames, pushing forward and searing all that stands in its path.

"What the hell?!"

Everyone in the audience could feel the heat of the rolling flames, some of them even wincing as the heat touched their pale skin. Izumi was far too busy staring at her blonde student, now suddenly a female, with an unreadable expression to react to the heat of the blinding blaze. Her Sharingan recorded every movement, every twitch. She's going to need it.

Jumping to the side and out of the fireball's path, he was nearly blindsided by a roundhouse kick aimed straight for his head. His experience as a jōnin and the Sharingan's notice of the dark spot in the corner of his vision, contrasted against the blinding chakra of the fireball, were the only things that allowed him to bring up his guard. Even so, he'd nearly wished that he didn't bring up his forearms to block as he could feel and hear his bones creaking in protest against the incomprehensible force behind the kick.

_Boom!_

Bathed in the light of the detonated fireball, Ryuk could see the devious smirk on his opponent's face, her hair fluttering in the wake of the jutsu.

"Let's really see how weak I am, shall we?"

Foot planted in the ground through chakra, she forced her leg to keep applying pressure against the jōnin's forearms until he was forced to give, releasing his chakra hold on the ground and rolling with the motion of the kick. Coming out of the roll, Ryuk drew two kunai, knowing better than to trade direct blows against the blonde, whose blows feel like getting hit by a rampaging bijū.

"Come on, Ryuk-kun! Show me how weak I am!"

While Naruto was busy taunting and trading strikes against the blonde, Izumi was busy analyzing her student's attacks.

"Nee-chan? Isn't that-"

"Mine and kā-sama's taijutsu style? Yes. Yes it is."

Those who heard the exchange or had seen Mikoto in action couldn't help but confirm it for themselves. Every move is precise, elegant, deadly dance of gleaming blades and minute misdirection, a complete departure from what Izumi had seen of Naruto's straightforward taijutsu style.

"If you can't beat me when I'm using oba-chan's style, how do you expect to beat her at full strength?"

The taunting had the desired effect, judging by the scowl that marred the Uchiha's face. Breaking away from the exchange with a high kick, the Uchiha burned through his next hand seals with angered zeal.

**"Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu! (Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Technique!)"**

Naruto raced through the barrage of fireballs, dancing and dodging around them as she went through her own hand seals.

**"Suiton: Mizurappa! (Water Style: Violent Water Wave!)"**

Containing the jutsu in her chest rather than forcefully spitting out the technique in its default form of a water bullet, Naruto sprayed the torrent of water towards Ryuk, ending the frontal bombardment of fire. The Uchiha avoided getting swamped, using his Sharingan to predict where Naruto will aim the jutsu, waiting until the blonde could no longer maintain the flood of water to strike.

Pushing forward with kicks to keep his shorter opponent at a disadvantage, if just barely. That plan came to an end when Naruto threw down a smoke bomb, filling the area with a conspicuous red smoke.

"Gahhh!"

Every Uchiha was on high alert as Ryuk screamed and coughed in pain, jumping backwards, out of the cloud in obvious discomfort, his hands rubbing at his eyes, struggling to breathe despite being out of the smoke cloud. Flecks of red dust could be seen all along his clothes and skin, denoting the special properties of the smoke bomb.

"Aww. Do you have something in your eyes, Ryuk-kun?"

"Y-You bitch! What have you done to me?!"

Even as he furiously rubbed his eyes over and over again, Ryuk couldn't focus on the blonde as she slowly strutted out of the smoke cloud, not a single fleck of red on her clothes and skin. Tears poured down his eyes and cheeks, blurring his vision and clouding his judgment through the heat and pain.

"Well, since you asked so _nicely_, I'll tell you." Naruto pulled out a dark red ball from her utility pouch. "This is a smoke bomb." She paused, letting the suspense hang in the air. "Filled with red chili powder."

"W-What?" Ryuk could hardly focus given the way his eyes, lungs and skin burned from the heat of his own body.

"Mmhmm! Imagine that! A great male Uchiha brought down by a smoke bomb and a cooking ingredient." Naruto disappeared, his voice hanging in the air. "How weak!"

When his instincts screamed at him, Ryuk brought up his arms, blocking a kick from the kunoichi with his forearms. That was the only reprieve he got. Punches, knife hands, and kicks met with his exposed sides, neck and even slipping through the guard of his arms.

"Where's that big talk, Ryuk-kun? I thought you were gonna show me my place? Are you having performance issues?"

By now, Ryuk looked less like a jōnin of Konohagakure and more like the victim of a mugging, bruised and limping as Naruto continued his relentless barrage. Both of his eyes were swollen shut from both the chili powder's irritation and Naruto's punches. His bottom lip is busted and bleeding. Without a doubt, even his sides, neck and arms are bruised and battered by the unforgiving blonde.

On his last legs and struggling to stay conscious against the pain, Ryuk couldn't believe it. He'd lost against an eight year old boy who has yet to reach puberty. An eight year old boy in the body of a girl.

"Gak!"

His labored breathing was cut off as a petite hand wrapped itself around his throat, lifting him off the ground.

"Make no mistake, Ryuk: it doesn't matter if your opponent is a man or a woman, a boy or a girl. Oba-chan, Izumi-chan, and Satsuki-chan are girls, but that doesn't make them any less worthy of the title of shinobi. What I did to you today is a mercy compared to what Izumi-chan would do to you. So, what have you learned today?"

The pressure eased off his neck, sucking in a raspy breath of much needed oxygen.

"M-Man or w-woman, strength can c-come from anyone."

"Good. Now, forfeit the match."

"I… I for-forfeit."

"Victor by forfeit, Naruto Uzumaki!"

Dropping down the asshole, Naruto dispelled his **Henge** and unsealed a water canteen, slowly pouring the contents on his exposed skin. The clapping of the Uchihas, mostly from the women, filled the air. Even his sensei, who was rather unhappy he'd still held back, was smiling at him.

Izumi clapped along with the rest of her clanswomen. It was nice to know that her student, as idiotic as dense as he could be sometimes with his one-track focus on training, has a good heart. Now, if he would just stop holding back...

**AN: Okay, so I had some ideas for this fight, where Naruto would cover his eyes and use Sage Mode to clap some cheeks so he wouldn't be holding back, but then I was like, NAH! POETIC JUSTICE! I had some thoughts on Naruto using Sage-powered ninjutsu since the manga and anime are big fucking cockteases. Like, if Sage Mode lets Naruto make Rasengan the size of a fucking house, what'll happen to Katon? Suiton? I kind of wanted Naruto to flex on Ryuk in this chapter, but then I replaced it with a simple smoke bomb.**

**Why? Because kid Naruto is fucking broken. This kid, who has chakra pools the size of Kages by the time he was an Academy student, outran Chūnin who were trying to catch him. You'd think that he'd apply his pranking abilities to his combat abilities. Like, replacing paint bombs with smoke bombs filled with chili powder. You Hyūga and Uchiha better watch out!**

**Hyūga and Uchiha? Use flash grenades. Shika used them against Tayuya, I think. Wanna fuck up someone with special eyes? There you go.**

**Aburame? Replace paint/water based pellets with a sticky honey/syrup base. There you go. Just fucked up a man's insects.**

**Inuzuka? Dog whistle. Stink bombs. Smoke bombs laced with a sleeping agent.**

**UGHHHH. SO MUCH POTENTIAL FOR PRANKSTER NARUTO TO CLAP SOME CHEEKS! BUT NOOOOO!**

**Anyways, smile and have a nice day!**


	9. Judgment

**Upload Date: March 22, 2020**

**Hey everyone. I hope you guys are staying safe and healthy with COVID-19 floatin' around. Wash your hands, stay sanitary and don't go swappin' body fluids with strangers. Don't think you need me to tell you that last one, but eh. You never know when someone suddenly has the thought, "I should go swap some SEED with someone right now."**

**You are welcome for the thoughts and images that came to your mind. I will take payment in the form of reviews.**

**Here's something that I will surprise everyone who reads this fanfic: I have never seen a full episode of Naruto. Never. Nor have I read the manga.**

**I will take your roastings of how I have no childhood in the reviews.**

**Review corner!**

**monkiepawn: Yea, shit gets explained a bit this chapter. Naruto's not just growing fast though, he's maturing faster. As for Naruto's inability to be more open with others, there is the issue of his time/dimension travelling: who will believe him? Two, he's still the same orphan who grew up with practically no one in his life. To him, the idea of sharing his troubles should be as foreign as the idea of proper romance. So yea, it'll be a little heartbreaking to see him continue smiling while suffering on the inside. As for Inoichi, maybe a later chapter. I could totally see Izumi holding that over his head as some sort of punishment.**

**Chrolloz: "Respect the Wahmen?" Nux Taku? Is that you?!  
Honestly, I'm surprised Naruto hasn't beaten the shit out of more people using his Oiroke no Jutsu. I'm actually disappointed.**

**PraetorXyn: You don't understand how much I wanted to write a scene where Naruto uses Senjutsu-enhanced techniques on that dickhead Ryuk.**

**TheMarioGamer: Yea, Naruto is a _big boi_. Kind of explained in the chapter, but as to whether he'll stop growing early? WE SHALL SEE.  
Request for a female Kiba, is a no go for this specific story. Don't get me wrong, I feel the same way about a tomboy "alpha" female roughing it with Naruto only to develop feelings later, but nah. Gotta have some dickhead males that are around Naruto's age.  
**

**TheRazgrizDragon: I'm so glad you agree with the traps thing. Like, you could clearly see some of it happen during the fight against Pein where he uses deception and smokescreens to his advantage, but not nearly enough!**

**Yorae Rasante: Yess! I don't understand why Naruto stopped using the cool pranks and stuff. He used it against Zabuzu by transforming into the windmill shuriken or demon shuriken, I forgot which one it is called, but yea! He used some tricks in the Pein fight too, like smokescreens, but there was so much potential for it. I agree with the Dragon Ball Z thing. It suddenly became about who was physically stronger, could throw more jutsus, instead of tricks and sleight of hand like in Naruto.**

**TheB: Yea, the height thing is touched upon here. As to where and how Naruto will physically develop, I guess you'll just have to read on...**

**OmegaRealism: Ugh... Here. This one isn't as boring! It's building up to some butt clenching action. Happy?**

**UknownHero: Mmm. Bringing salt and pepper to the Forest of Death... I wonder what snakes taste like?**

**Jarred Williams: Wow. High praise to say that this is the most interesting fic you've read in awhile. Well, I hope I can keep your interest!**

**JohnyXD: Manga logic. When in doubt, manga logic.  
You don't understand. I actually imagined Neko hissing at them just like that when I wrote it, but goddamn I couldn't because she's still ANBU. But my word that would have been cute.**

**ShadowDeathSkull: UGHHH. I can't even tell you when Izumi and Satsuki will make a goddamn move AND I'M THE ONE WRITING THIS STORY. You don't understand how much I want them to kiss him already. BUT NO. Fucking "character development." I'm tempted to just write one-shots based off this story for moments between Naruto and the girls. From cute to lemons. _Very_ tempted. **

**ragnarshadow: He'll keep growing, but at a slower rate.**

**BlackDragonShinigami: I wanna make Naruto clap Pein's cheeks with some pranks now. Fuck. I'm gonna have a hard time writing that just imagining what he'd do to the guy because I'd waste so much time laughing my ass off. "God" getting his cheeks clapped by paintballs and parlor tricks. I love it.**

**sd74: Bruh. Are you... trying to calculate when Naruto could have his ramen cheat day? I don't think Izumi would like you very much.  
I love the idea of threatening Ryuk's junk. Should've written that. I had a brief thought of having Naruto slam him in the nuts, but my word that was painful just imagining. I don't think even Naruto would be that cruel. Fingers up the ass? Yes. Breaking a man's berries? A tentative no.**

**Mind : Honestly, thank you for say that. I don't think this story is anything special. I'm actually just writing because it's fun and it keeps the story alive and on paper rather than in my head, where no one could see it.**

**Anyway! Here's a 10k word chapter for you guys to enjoy under quarantine. Cheeks are starting to get clapped. **

**Read, react and review!**

**Chapter 9: Judgment**

Puberty.

If there is one thing in the entire world Naruto didn't want to experience again, it is puberty. The awkward mornings, the voice cracks. The hormonal urges. Despite training with Jiraiya, the self-proclaimed Super Pervert, - he still didn't know how the man could proudly proclaim such a thing - Naruto was far more focused on getting stronger and keeping his promise to Sakura than the pleasures of the flesh.

That doesn't mean he didn't understand the appeal of a woman's body. He is, after all, the creator of the **Oiroke no Jutsu (Sexy Technique)**. He understands and appreciates the appeal, the sensual curves and softness of the female form. He just isn't obsessed with it like his godfather/sensei. Damn old man spent more time peeping on women in hot springs than he did training his student.

Speaking of perverts, how come every sensei he's ever had has been a pervert? Kakashi, public porn reader. Ebisu, closet pervert. Jiraiya, Super Pervert. It's a miracle Naruto isn't a raging pervert.

But doesn't making the **Oiroke no Jutsu (Sexy Technique)** make him a pervert? Maybe?

Nah! That's only if he started groping himself for enjoyment. Then, he'd be a pervert.

Strangely, unlike his first life when he'd experienced puberty during the three year trip with Jiraiya, Naruto is experiencing puberty at the age… of ten. It shouldn't be happening! But then, he's been alive for a total of twenty seven years, looking like he's only in his teens. To that end, he could only come to one conclusion, one reason, for his rapid maturation: chakra.

For whatever reason, his potent, Yang-oriented chakra is forcing his body to mature at a far faster rate than natural. At the age of ten, Naruto is now standing a full head taller than his sensei, something that she was rather unhappy about.

"It's harder to touch your whiskers now," she'd pouted.

Damn all the jutsus in the world. Damn all the Sages and Senjus. If you need a weapon of mass devastation, just make one Izumi Uchiha pout. Wars would be ended in a heartbeat to make that pout disappear.

But then, that might just be his bias for the black haired beauty. Hey! He might not be the sharpest kunai in the bunch, but he could tell when someone is pretty. And his sensei is definitely a head turner.

"Natsumi-chan!" Naruto, dubbed as Natsumi amongst those who have seen his **Oiroke no Jutsu (Sexy Technique)**, was pulled out of her thoughts about her latest thoughts. "You're staring again."

"Ah, gomen (sorry), Yū-chan."

Initially, Yūgao and the rest of their friends hadn't believed that Naruto could transform into a "golden-haired bitch," as Izumi so eloquently put it. So once again, she dragged the rest of her friends to Training Ground Six, where Naruto was practically fighting for his life against his sensei. Why?

Because Natsumi was more endowed than Izumi.

…

That took awhile to sink in with the rest of the group of friends. Izumi had never shown any sort of envy for her inordinately endowed friends before. Anko, Kurenai, Yūgao, Hana, all were incredibly endowed, both upstairs and downstairs.

Apparently, she drew the line at having her _male_ student's alter ego be more endowed than her. Everyone had a breaking point, they supposed. Every now and then, they could catch the briefest glimpse of Izumi gazing at Natsumi's bust and hips in envy as they went about town, using the alter ego to alleviate the hatred drawn to Naruto by civilians. Of course, the hate-filled looks were replaced with either lust, envy, or adoration so it wasn't that much of an improvement.

Naruto, or Natsumi, was still no one, a ghost, in his own home village.

"Whatcha thinkin' about, blondie? Got jutsus on your mind or something a little more _pleasurable_?"

Leave it to Anko to make Naruto uncomfortable in either form. The first thing she'd done when she saw his female form was to grope him. It wasn't a cursory touch or squeeze either. Anko fucking pulled and played with her chest like she was testing a couple of melons to see if they were ripe!

"Anko!" Kurenai, of course, was the more reasonable one of the bunch.

"What? You can't tell me you're not a little bit curious about whether or not she's a natural blonde."

"PUH! I- I-" Any credibility the red eyed beauty had was lost as her cheeks flushed and her stammer came in full force.

"Exactly, Nai-chan! You need to live a little!" Much to Kurenai's chagrin, Anko groped her dark haired bestie's bust. Unrestrained laughter erupted from the purplette when the Genjutsu Mistress slapped away the offending hand.

Natsumi couldn't help but blush at the forward woman. Female form or not, Naruto was still a hot-blooded male who has been trained by the world's biggest pervert to appreciate the female body. If any more of that kept up, he was afraid he'd pop the **Henge (Transformation) **out of embarrassment.

"Anko! Some decorum. We are in public. I don't want to explain to Otō-sama why I was placed into jail for public indecency." Izumi _really _didn't want to have that sort of conversation with her father of all people. It had been bad enough when she brought up the subject of her menses with her mother. After that conversation, she wanted to use a Doton jutsu to bury herself. Permanently.

"Oh, don't be such a prude, little crow. It's not like I'm sucking face with Nai-chan. I'll leave that shit to Asuma."

Natsumi couldn't help but smile at that. Even in another dimension, the red eyed beauty and the rugged sensei of Team Ten still sought out one another. Two halves of a whole. She was the Yin to Asuma's Yang.

"Ugh. We aren't dating."

"_Yet_. Don't forget the important modifier!" Anko was nonplussed as Kurenai groaned and held her head in her hands, hiding the blush on her pale cheeks. "It's only a matter of time until you give in and start going out with him and poppin' out some little brats."

That's right… Kurenai was out of commission at the height of the war due to the birth of her and Asuma's child. Despite not being married to the chain smoking jōnin, the Sarutobi Clan had taken her in. Much like their highly coveted monkey summons, the clan understands the value of family. That was all he'd known of the former sensei, forced into the role of a single parent because of some misguided attempt towards peace.

Unwanted, Natusmi's mind came to a conclusion that made her throat tighten in discomfort. In some way, it was her fault. Had she been stronger, she would have been able to kill or seal away Hidan and Kakuzu. Maybe if she had, then that poor child wouldn't have been born without their father. Kurenai wouldn't have been left alone.

"Natsumi-chan? Are you alright?"

In spite of herself, she nearly snapped when a hand placed itself on her clenched fist. Idly, she noted the cuts left by her nails on her already healing skin.

"Yea! Yea. I'm… I'm fine." She knew lying to her sensei was meaningless, but she didn't want to worry her. "Nothing wrong with wanting to settle down to have some kids, Anko. Just because you won't do it doesn't mean other people shouldn't do it."

"Oh, I don't give a damn what other people do. Just keep that shit away from me." She waved her hand, as if shooing away the very idea of settling down and having a family. "What about you, princess? You want any kids?"

"Of course," Izumi replied.

"Good luck with that! If your brains and skills don't scare away all your suitors, then your old man will."

Everyone giggled as Izumi sighed. Her father, as well-meaning as he could be, is not exactly the most welcoming person, especially for any males who might come near his precious daughters. Even Naruto has been caught on the end of his overbearing parental protectiveness.

"Either that or Natsumi here will steal them away from you," Hana supplied.

"I still don't understand how you came up with that." Izumi frowned, crossing her arms and staring at the busty blonde seated next to her.

"We don't get it either. By the way, how… how accurate are you?" Yūgao tentatively asked.

"How… accurate?"

"How accurate is your meat pocket, gaki?" Anko is, once again, as subtle as a rampaging bijū.

"Uh… Very?" Natsumi wasn't sure if she should be mortified or fear for her life.

"And how do you know that?" Izumi's glare worsened.

"I… uh… you know what, I gotta go! Training waits for no one-ttebane!"

_Poof!_

Taking Natsumi's place was a Naruto clone, one who clearly knew he just got stabbed in the back by the original.

"What the fuck, boss?!"

The clone felt a surge of fear as he turned around, met with the frowning faces of Kurenai, Yūgao, Hana and Izumi, who had brought out her Sharingan.

"Ah… fuck you, boss-ttebayo."

"Oho. You naughty naughty boy, Naruto." Anko was the only one who seemed nonplussed about his knowledge on female anatomy. "Have you been spying on Izumi-chan?"

Clone or not, one learns to fear an angry Uchiha woman when her Sharingan starts to spin ominously.

"Uhh," one nervous gulp later, "no?"

"Is that a question?" hissed Izumi .

Knowing that if he didn't act soon, he, along with the original, will be in deep shit. When in doubt, fall back to the most basic shinobi skill: deception.

"It's Izumi-sensei's fault! She pushes me into my bed and forces me to sleep with her every week!"

She only forces him to sleep with her in the same bed as a way for him to rest, but they didn't know that. He'll leave them to draw their own conclusions.

The entire table went quiet at the clone's outburst. The attention of the girls focused on the now blushing Izumi, who had already caught onto the clone's plan, but knew she couldn't do anything about what was implied between them.

_Poof!_

"Ara ara, little crow! I didn't know you were so forward! Well, don't hold out on us! How is he?" Anko couldn't give a damn about the immoral nature of their relationship. She just wanted the details. "Stamina? Size? Techn-"

"WE DON'T DO ANYTHING!"

"'Don't do anything?' Naruto-kun said you basically rape him!" Yūgao was a lot angrier than she expected herself to be over such a revelation. "If there's one thing Naruto-kun can't do, it's lie. So tell us, _Izumi_, did you or did you not have non-consensual sex with Naruto, _a minor_?"

She might be ANBU black ops, but even she had standards. Finding out that one of her best friends is jumping their only mutual male friend, who is also a minor, crosses those standards!

"I didn't!"

"A likely story! Now spill the deets, princess!"

If Izumi wasn't caught up in the grilling of her friends over her supposed sex life, she would have been more proud of her student for how well he turned the situation around.

He's still getting punished later, but pride now. Punishment later.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

_**"You know the Uchiha will get you for that later, correct?"**_

_"Yea, but I'd rather deal with one angry woman rather than five."_

_**"Hmm." **_The Kyūbi agreed. Better one than five. _**"Out of curiosity, how do you get your female form to be so accurate? And don't lie to me, human, or I will punish you alongside the Uchiha."**_

_"It wouldn't make sense for you, Kyūbi-chan. Just accept it for what it is. But didn't peep or do anything perverted-ttebayo!"_

_**"You are a teenager at the height of his hormonal imbalance and you are telling me you didn't do anything perverted?"**_

Good point. Even the dense, almost unforgivably oblivious Naruto has been sneaking glances at the females in his life.

Anko, even if she is a little too bloodthirsty for any sane male, is undeniably attractive. He just didn't want her drinking his blood anymore. Once is enough, thank you very much.

Hana, who has outgrown her tomboy phase, is now incredibly attractive. While her mode of dress isn't as revealing or as risqué as Anko's, her show of cleavage is still a point of interest for most guys. Combined with her caring, but competitive personality, she's a definite catch.

How does she get her chest to fit under that Chūnin vest? Has to be pretty uncomfortable under there.

Kurenai is gorgeous. Athletic, yet curvy, she'll turn heads fast enough to give people whiplash! Her exotic red eyes, voluminous black curls and lily-white skin make her a walking wet dream for most men and an idol for girls.

Not for the first time, Naruto felt his sense of respect for the chain smoking Sarutobi who captured her heart increase.

Then there was Yūgao. His friend, training partner and childhood guardian. He has caught himself admiring her, especially after a kenjutsu practice session. He remembered one vivid memory, one that has sparked many a wet dream, where he followed a bead of sweat from her temple all the way down the length of her neck, only to be lost in the contours of her chest.

The Kyūbi had never let him down after that, taunting him with images of him and the purple-haired sword user in some intimate and downright nosebleed inducing positions.

Last, but not least, there was Izumi Uchiha, his sensei and infrequent bed partner. After he'd given her those tessen a couple of years ago, she had been sneaking into his room a lot more, often dragging him - against his will, mind you! - to bed so he could "rest."

"I could rest when I'm dead!" He remembered telling her.

Ugh. Then she turned back and glared at him. Needless to say, he didn't sleep alone that night.

After awhile, he'd started to look forward to those days where she would drag his ass to bed, force him under the covers and drape herself across him like some human-shaped paper weight. Somehow, this actually allowed him to sleep without being haunted by the ghosts of his past. He'd actually spent quite a bit of their time together, both in and out of bed, admiring the beautiful woman that is his sensei.

Although she wasn't as endowed as the rest of her friends, that didn't make her any less beautiful. Her assets suited her lithe frame perfectly. Long, straight black hair framed a lily-white face adorned with features so breathtaking, he'd nearly lost his head a few times during the heat of a spar.

"Died by perving on his sensei" is not something he wants to see written on his grave marker, Sage damn it! Then again, if he was dead, he wouldn't see it being there, but the point still stands!

_"Does it make me a pervert to be looking at them like this?"_

_**"I'm a bijū. Do you honestly expect me to answer such a question?"**_

_"I dunno! But you're still a woman!"_

_**"Right, that means I have all the answers, obviously! Stupid human."**_

_"Bitchy bijū."_

Surprisingly to Naruto, the Kyūbi that he has come to know over the last five years is a lot more amicable than the Kurama of his past. He still missed the furball, but this Kyūbi isn't so bad. They'd fallen into a comfortable rhythm of trading insults and shared conversations.

When he'd asked her why she was so open to conversation with him, rather than being lost to her anger, she had given him an eye opening response.

**"I am a bijū, the most powerful one at that. Why would I be concerned with the actions of a few hairless apes? Regardless of what you do now, you will die, while I will continue to exist as a part of this world. Why would I be angered by the way humans treat themselves and the world at large? Regardless of what happens, of whatever wrongs you may commit, to either yourselves or to the world, it does not concern me. After all, you would only be hurting yourselves. Your species is worth neither my anger, nor my pity." **Her cocky smirk turned into an angry frown. **"What does anger me is the Shodai's decision to subjugate my siblings and I, to strip away our freedom, and turning us into weapons for the amusement of your leaders."**

Damn. Then who pissed in Kurama's ramen? Was it because… he's a guy? Alpha male issues? Was that why he was always comparing tails? His partner had an inferiority complex? Why was he always angry?

Ugh. That line of thought only made his head hurt.

_**"Focus! Something's happening."**_

Naruto's thoughts turn on a dime, forcing everything unnecessary out of his mind, tuning his senses to his surroundings and searching for whatever it was that drew the attention of his tenant. On the surface, using only his most basic senses, he could tell that something was wrong, though not what it was. The forest was simply too quiet, the evening atmosphere devoid of the animal cries that would normally fill the air.

It was his ability to sense natural energy that finally told him what was wrong: someone is there, near the training ground. Someone whose blip within the natural energy seems incredibly familiar.

"_Shisui-nii!"_

Naruto took off towards the signature of someone he considers to be family. The trip didn't take long, but he could tell that something was wrong: Shisui's signature was stationary. Doubling his pace, Naruto came upon a scene that made his stomach drop.

Shisui was bruised and battered, pressing himself up against a tree and flicking his head from side to side, reacting to every little noise that he heard. His clothes were torn in several places, clean, precise cuts that littered his pale frame. Both of his eyelids were closed shut, trails of blood running down his cheeks.

Someone had taken his eyes. _Both of them_.

"Nii-san!" Upon hearing his voice, Shisui's head jerked up, obviously relieved, before he frowned, hands shakily gripping a kunai as he threatened the person he couldn't see.

"Stay back! You can't trick me!"

"It's me, nii-san! We went training beyond the village walls a couple of months ago with Izumi-chan! You taught me tracking and Izumi-chan pranked both of us for pranking her the first time around, remember?" Just like that, his guard dropped once more.

"F-Fuck. It really is you, Naruto." His words were punctuated by several coughs, holding on to his sides as if it'd hurt him just to breathe. "D-Danzō Shimura did this to me. Him and those ANBU rejects."

"Shh. Doesn't matter right now. Let's take care of you first!" Upon closer inspection, Naruto could tell that his sensei had lost a lot of blood, staining his navy blue clothes a disgusting mix of dried, flaky and free flowing red blood.

_Poof!_

Three clones spawned, one instantly using the **Henge **to turn into a stretcher. Without knowing if there were any broken bones that were stabbing into any important bits, Naruto didn't want to carry him. Moving him on a stretcher, though not recommended, was the best way for him to take the injured teen to the hospital.

"What was that?!" Damn. In his injured state, Shisui was still wired to react to every sound, especially the sound of spawning clones.

"My clones. We made a stretcher for you. You've got to get to a hospital!" That's, quite possibly, the first time Naruto had ever said those words to someone.

Shisui complied, guided by the two clones onto the stretcher while the original searched around for anything Shisui didn't want left behind. Before his older boy could lose much more blood though, the trio of Narutos took off towards the village hospital. He hated the damn place, but he knew where it was as a necessity, something drilled into his brain by his sensei.

"You might not need it, Naruto-kun, but what if you came across someone who doesn't heal as fast as you do?"

Along the way to the hospital, he could see several patrols of the Uchiha Police Force following him from afar. They recognize him and Shisui-nii, based on the murmurs of worry and fear that they could feel. Some of it was directed at him, though most were concerned for the one he carried in his stretcher.

Naruto and his trio of clones burst into the emergency wing of the hospital, only to be sneered at.

"Get the hell out of here! You're not welcome here."

"It's not for me, you stupid idiot! It's for Shisui-nii!"

"I don't give a damn who it's for! Your kind is not welcome here!" Some fucking doctor.

"Listen here you fucking bitch! Unless you want the Hokage himself coming down here to ask you why his nephew is dead and Police Captain Kagami to personally torture the answer as to why his son is dead out of you, YOU'D BETTER START TREATING HIM!"

That worked, kicking their asses into gear as they begrudgingly hefted the injured male from Naruto's clone-made stretcher onto a medical stretcher before racing him into the emergency operating room.

_Poof!_

Several more clones spawned, following behind the stretcher and stationing themselves around the operating room, both inside and outside the hospital, covering every point of entry.

"Protect Shisui-nii, no matter the danger!"

"Ossu!"

Like that, Naruto was off once again, racing towards the Hokage Tower while another clone was sent towards the Uchiha District towards their home to talk to Mikoto-oba-chan while another raced towards the Uchiha Police Station.

_SLAM!_

"Hey! You can't just barge in here like that!"

"Fuck off! I need to see Hokage-sama now!"

Running straight up the stairs and into the Hokage's office, he slammed the doors open. Inside, standing opposite the Hokage were Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, his _advisors_, while the Sandaime is seated on the couch in the office, listening in and giving advice as needed.

"Fugaku-sama! Shisui-nii's in the hospital!"

"Shisui-kun?" The Sandaime was the first to respond.

The slight widening of the stoic Godaime's eyes were the only thing that gave away his worry. Many thought Fugaku was a cold-hearted bastard, but if there was one thing in the world that he loved, it was his family.

"How?" The tone was authoritative, yet held none of the concern he felt.

"Attacked, and according to Shisui-nii, by Danzō Shimura and his _ANBU_." Naruto practically growled out his answer, his anger barely contained.

"Preposterous! Danzō would ne-"

Whatever the old crone was going to say was cut off as Naruto glared at the advisors, eyes slitted and red as his anger allowed his control over the seal to slip.

"Are you calling me and Shisui-nii a liar? If you're done being a waste of space, get the hell out of here!"

"Look here, you-" Homura attempted to speak up, obviously incensed by the boy's dismissal.

"You. Are. Dismissed." This time, it was the Hokage who spoke up, his Sharingan swirling menacingly in the fading evening light.

It felt like an eternity and a half later before Fugaku turned to Naruto once the two fossils had left the office.

"His status?"

"Unknown. He was alive when I left him at the hospital, after they'd taken him into the operating room."

"Guards?"

"Forty clones, stationed at every entry and exit possible."

"Good. You've alerted my brother and Mikoto, correct?"

"Hai."

Just like that, Fugaku slumped in his seat, a rare display of weariness that only a few have ever seen before.

"Thank you, Naruto."

"Think nothing of it, Fugaku-sama. Anything for family." Naruto paused as the Hokage nodded. "He took Shisui's eyes."

As if the very air in the room was chilled by an Hyōton jutsu, Fugaku's eyes bore into Naruto's.

"_What?_"

"Danzō took his eyes. He wants his Mangekyō Sharingan prowess, the **Kotoamatsukami**."

"Kuso!"

"He has gone too far this time," Hiruzen frowned, obviously disappointed by his old friend and comrade.

Despite the calm facade of someone who has been like a father to him, Naruto knew he was greatly angered by the news. To steal the eyes of an Uchiha, alive or dead, is the equivalent of spitting on their family name. That was something Fugaku taught him the very first week he'd lived with the clan head's family.

Fugaku didn't dwell on the fact that Naruto knew of the Mangekyō Sharingan and Shisui's specific powers. The two were incredibly close despite the difference in age because of how close their views and personalities were.

"He needs to die, Fugaku-sama."

If Fugaku wasn't so worried about his nephew and what Danzō could be doing with the **Kotoamatsukami**, he would have gawked at the boy. For the last five years that Naruto had lived with them, Naruto had shown to have not a single mean bone in his body, yet here he was, calling for the death of a stranger. The same could be said for the old monkey, who was looking at his de facto grandson in a new light.

"That man has done too much already. He needs to pay for his crimes."

"It will not be that easy, Naruto." At that, Naruto scoffed.

"It _is _that easy. Give me an ANBU squad. I will personally hunt him down."

Normally, Naruto would be the first to speak up for the redemption of those who have committed wrongs in the past, but not this time. Danzō was the person who helped to start the Akatsuki, no matter how inadvertently. Because of him, thousands had died. The entire Uchiha Clan had died at his hands. The very first iteration of the Akatsuki lost the heart of their organization because of him. Nagato and Konan had become what they were because of him.

It was because of him that Itachi was forced to murder his own family.

All for the hat. All for the Great Tree of Konoha.

All for greed.

"No," Fugaku knew there was no way any squad of highly trained ANBU would follow Naruto's lead. "I will not be giving you a squad."

"But-"

"I know you want to get revenge for Shisui, but you have no field experience. ANBU will not listen to someone they do not respect."

"Then let me join a squad!" Naruto wasn't thinking straight. He knew it, Fugaku knew it, Hiruzen knew it. "I want to prove myself, but more than that, I want to protect my family! What's the point of all this training, of being Izumi's apprentice if I can't even use it to protect my family?"

"This is more than just about protecting our family! This is about a government official attacking a Konoha shinobi. This is about someone who stole a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan. This is someone who has survived the last three Shinobi World Wars!"

"Che. He might be a decent shinobi, but survival is more about luck than skill." And didn't he know it. "Danzō doesn't care about anything else. He just cares about himself and taking the stupid hat! He doesn't give a damn about Konoha! All he wants is to take back the hat that jiji 'stole' from him-ttebayo!"

"How do you know that?" This time, it was the Sandaime who spoke up. He knew of his teammate's obsession with the position. How does Naruto know?

"I'm an empath, jiji. That old bastard feels like nothing but greed. He may speak like a patriot, but he can't hide his true intentions from me." While true that he _could_ be an empath while using some of his more powerful transformations, Naruto knew about the old bastard's ambition from Tsunade.

"Regardless of how you feel about him, or what you think about his skills, he is still a threat. With his subdivision of ANBU active, there isn't much that we could do without forcefully confronting him."

"Then let me join a squad! This will prove that he's a snake who only cares about himself!" Naruto was adamant. No matter what happens, he is going to personally hunt down that bastard. "If he fights back despite it being the Hokage's orders to have him killed, he's a rebel. You can put him in the Bingo book. If he doesn't fight back, he _dies_. With Shisui surviving their encounter, there's nothing that the bastard could do to wiggle out of this!"

"He and his ANBU attacked Shisui, put him in the hospital and stole his eyes, Naruto. What makes you think you could survive fighting against him?" The Sandaime was the voice of reason between the two stubborn men.

"Because I know who the enemy is! Shisui was probably jumped by the asshole and his goons!"

The two Hokages sit quietly, contemplating what they could do to deal with the Danzō, who has clearly gone rogue if he is going to openly attack a Konoha shinobi.

"Let him, Fugaku-kun."

"Hiruzen-sama. Are you sure?"

"Quite. Naruto has shown himself to be more than capable if what you told me about his fight against Ryuk is to be believed. Naruto fought a jōnin Uchiha who could use his Sharingan through tricks alone while able to keep up with him in taijutsu. This time," he added, "there will be no need to hold back."

Fugaku didn't show it, but he was apprehensive about sending Naruto to fight against Danzō and his forces. Izumi joining ANBU was something that he didn't have a say in. They needed someone on the inside to spy on the actions of Hiruzen and his advisors during the height of the shadow war the clan was preparing. Now, however, he had a choice to keep someone who had basically prevented the decimation of his clan had the clan and village government failed to reach a compromise.

"Send him in with Team Ro, Fugaku."

Team Ro: the Hokage's personal ANBU squad. Each agent hand picked by the Hokage himself to assert his will upon both his subjects and upon foreign nations. They were the best of the best, trained to seduce, infiltrate and kill in the name of the Hokage without any hesitation.

They would be Naruto's best chance of surviving the coming conflict.

"Naruto Uzumaki," Fugaku commanded. "Are you ready and willing to kill in the name of your Hokage?"

"Hai!"

_BAM!_

"Fugaku! Naruto! Sandaime-sama!" One frantic Kagami Uchiha slammed the doors to the Hokage's office.

Kagami Uchiha, named after the very Uchiha who had been a part of the Nidaime's Escort Unit, is Fugaku's younger brother and Captain of the Uchiha Police Force. He was a nearly perfect copy of the person whose names Unlike his predecessor, Kagami bears the prominent on either side of his nose of the clan head's paternal line. His hair, rather than being straight like Fugaku's, curled, a trait he'd inherited from their mother. Wearing the uniform of the Uchiha Police Force, the extended shoulder pauldrons of his black flak jacket denoted his position of Captain.

"Kagami. How is Shisui?"

"Still being operated on." The man turned towards Naruto and _bowed_. "My family and I owe you everything, Naruto. You saved Shisui with your actions."

"You don't have to bow to me, Kagami-oji-san (Uncle Kagami)!" If there was one thing Naruto didn't want people doing to him, it's bowing. "We're family!"

"Regardless, you have saved him." The older man straightened up, his smile now replaced by a frown. "Who did this to him?"

"Danzō Shimura," Fugaku hissed.

"Let me at him, Fugaku. That bastard has gone too far this time! He took my son's _eyes_."

"No. You will not be doing this, Kagami. Your place is with your son when he leaves the operating table." Fugaku then turned towards Naruto. "Gear up, Naruto."

"Hai, Hokage-sama!"

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Codename: Inu had originally thought the day would be his day off, one of at least another four to seven days following a long mission. He, and the rest of Team Ro, had just finished a nearly two month long mission into Tsuchi no Kuni (Land of Earth). They had been sent to observe and mingle among the civilian population in villages across the country, doing their best to gather information on the movements of the Iwa shinobi.

While it may seem ineffective to spy on shinobi forces through the civilians who could neither understand nor are privy to the secret lives of the shinobi, all ninjas rely upon civilians for one reason or another. During their stint in Tsuchi no Kuni, they had used their skills in espionage to find civilian jobs, which is not all that hard. Inu himself had managed to find work among the foresters of Tsuchikata, who used specially designed tools and permits to provide lumber, to both civilians and shinobi alike, from Tsuchi no Kuni's border with Taki no Kuni (Land of Waterfalls).

Although the shinobi of Iwa mostly use their high Doton affinity to build, maintain and repair their structures, they still need lumber to furnish and make their structures habitable. And it's not like civilians could do the same.

Not everything could be made with stone. He certainly didn't want to sleep on a slab of rock every night. He might be ANBU but even that's a little too barbaric for him.

According to the work orders he'd managed to pilfer and the gossip he'd managed to pick up, the forester teams have been receiving more work orders as of late from Iwagakure, though there was no mention as to where that lumber was being transported. From what he personally saw, and with judicious use of deductive reasoning, he'd assumed that the transportation would be done using a third-party, one likely consisted of Iwa shinobi.

Iwa is establishing a base. But where? And why?

Ever since their defeat at the hands of sensei almost twelve years ago, they had been recouping their losses. So why now? What's changed?

With not nearly enough information to continue with such a line of thought, all he could do is report his findings to the Hokage. Perhaps he will see the bigger picture given the more abundant sources of information he has.

This secret base, or whatever it is, that Iwa is building isn't the most vexing of the intel that they had gathered. Hȳo (Leopard), Neko (Cat), Kaeru (Frog), and Karasu (Crow) had uncovered a subtle problem that practically every village they'd travelled to had reported cases of missing persons. At first, it didn't seem too out of the ordinary. In a world of assassins, slavers and bandits, a few missing children didn't really mean much.

That was… until he'd established a pattern: they're all children of shinobi descent.

Every reportedly missing child within every village had a name that is either close enough to pass for a member of a clan, be it minor, major or supposedly extinct clans. This had taken quite a bit of time to scrounge up and he'd practically come across this tidbit on accident.

Someone, somewhere, is kidnapping children of shinobi descent.

Inu suppressed a fearful shudder as unpleasant memories surfaced. The last time he had to deal with missing children, Konoha had earned herself a nukenin whose notoriety is only surpassed by Madara Uchiha.

He could only hope it wasn't what he thought it was.

Now, at dusk, Inu is standing at attention within the Hokage's office along with the eight other members of Team Ro.

"Hokage-sama. Sandaime-sama. Team Ro, fully assembled."

Fugaku Uchiha, the Godaime Hokage of Konoha. That wasn't a title that had ever even crossed Inu's mind, let alone be one he'd utter out loud. The first Uchiha Hokage didn't wear the hat like his predecessors. Instead, he wore a dark red hitai-ate bearing a metal band with the word "Fire (火)" etched onto its glossy surface. The black, open-front battle skirt he normally preferred is now white, bearing flames similar to those of those the Yondaime's haori.

The hat is only worn by the man during official proceedings, as is custom for all Kages, regardless of village affiliation.

However, his attention wasn't focused on the village's leader; he was focused completely on the tall blond that occupied the room alongside the two Hokages and Team Ro.

Dressed in the garb of Konoha's ANBU with a Kitsune mask on his belt, is a spiky haired blond that brought back far too many memories. Memories of happier times. Of a family lost.

"_S-Sensei?"_

It took him several seconds to realize that his initial impression of those familiar blue eyes and blond hair were incorrect. Along with his prominent whisker marks, the owner of said eyes was young, appearing to be in his mid teens, but knowing his sensei and his sensei's wife, he had to be only ten years old, born on the same day that they had died. Much like his late sensei, the boy's jawline is becoming much more defined as he matures. Without a doubt, he is his sensei and nee-san's son.

"_Maybe it's the Uzumaki genes making him mature faster."_ He mulled over that thought for two seconds. _"Nah. Nee-san was a lot of things, but the word 'mature' wasn't one of them."_

"Good." He then went through a series of hand seals before placing his hand on the desk, activating a series of security and privacy seals that have been in place since the beginning of Konoha, designed by Mito Uzumaki, the wife of the Shodai Hokage. "Team Ro, masks off." Only when everyone had their masks attached to their belt through a small seal did the Hokage continue with the mission debriefing, his Sharingan scanning the room for any unwelcome guests.

"This is an S-ranked mission." That, they'd already assumed to be true, given the rather urgent nature of their summoning. "The objective is to eliminate a threat to Konoha, one who has been festering within the shadows for far too long." The Hokage then gestured towards the blond newcomer within the room.

"This is Naruto Uzumaki and he will be joining you in this mission."

As soon as the Hokage had finished speaking, there was an air of discontent among the Hokage's personal team. Accepting the incredibly young Izumi at the time of her joining Team Ro was one thing, but to work with an untested _child_ on an S-ranked mission is another.

"Hokage-sama!"

Knowing their argument, the Hokage raised his hand, stopping any further shows of dissent amongst his troops.

"He was personally trained by Itachi. He will be more than capable of fighting alongside you." He looked into the eyes of every operative, most of whom had been hand picked by the Sandaime during his reign as Hokage. As a sign of good will, he kept on every member, only picking Neko (Cat) herself to join the squad when the last member, Shishi (Lion), had retired from the team.

"I do not wish to send him into such a mission untested either, but Sandaime-sama and I trust him. With his extensive sensor capabilities, he will be able to guide you through your mission and provide assistance on the frontline. He will not be a hindrance to you."

"What is the mission, Hokage-sama?" Inu asked with his usual drawl.

"Team Ro's mission is to eliminate one person and to bring down his entire organization: Danzō Shimura and his ROOT ANBU." Waiting for the information to sink in, the Hokage continued to brief Team Ro. "As of two hours ago, Danzō Shimura and his ANBU attacked a Konoha nin: Shisui Uchiha, stealing his Sharingan and leaving Shisui to bleed out in Training Ground Twelve. Naruto Uzumaki found Shisui and brought him to Konoha Medical Center. As of an hour ago, Shisui has been declared to be stable, yet unconscious. It is up to Team Ro to bring Danzō Shimura to justice, dead or alive." The Hokage's Sharingan swirled ominously in the gathering darkness. "Preferably _dead_."

"Exterminate Shimura. Kill any ROOT operatives who stand in your way. That is the will of your Hokage!"

"HAI, HOKAGE-SAMA!"

The man then turned to Naruto, his features softening ever so slightly.

"You had better come back home, Naruto. They will never forgive me if something were to happen to you." He didn't have to clarify who "they" referred to.

"I will come home, Hokage-sama. We all will. That's a promise-ttebayo."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," he lightly chastised. "You know what Shisui's eyes look like, correct?" Naruto nodded. "Find them, Naruto."

"I will."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Standing at the fence that cordons off Training Ground Forty Four, also known as the Forest of Death, were the Sandaime and Godaime Hokage, the Uchiha Police Force Captain, Naruto Uzumaki, geared and masked alongside Team Ro.

"Naruto, head count," commanded the Hokage. Naruto blinked for a second before answering the Godaime.

"About a hundred signatures, ten kilometers into the forest, a few hundred meters below the surface."

"Hm." Fugaku nodded. That corresponds with the information the Sandaime had given him regarding bases that the ROOT could hide within. "Be careful, Naruto. This will be unlike any battle you have fought before with Izumi or Ryuk."

"You're right about one thing, Godaime-sama: this won't be like any battle I've ever been in." Naruto's eyes turned from glacial chips of ice to crimson slits, staring into Fugaku's eyes without fear. "This will be an extermination."

With that declaration in tow, Naruto turned towards his comrades. Slitted eyes peered into the eyes of every masked operative, challenging.

"If anyone has a problem with me, you can walk away now. With or without you, Danzō dies _tonight_."

When no one moved, he smirked, allowing some of the caustic chakra to leak out of his seal. Turning his head towards the direction of the ROOT hideout, Naruto reared his head back and roared.

Tonight, death comes.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Danzō Shimura has never been a man easily swayed by his emotions. His beliefs, his ideals, are written in stone, protected from the rest of the world by a cloak of shadows and secrecy. To him, there were only three things of value to a shinobi: the mission, the ideals, and the village.

Nothing else mattered.

This could clearly be seen in the way he trains his ROOT, the officially defunct branch of ANBU operatives, established some time during the Second Shinobi World War to create dissent amongst Konoha's enemies without implicating The Great Tree.

They were to carry no emotions. They were to hold only the village and its ideals as the cornerstone of their existence. They live, breathe, and die for The Great Tree.

They are the shadows of black operations.

That is why he didn't panic upon hearing that dreaded roar. He was concerned, yes, but not panicked. It was something he'd only heard once before, nearly a decade ago. That day, The Great Tree had nearly fallen, faced with an enemy she had not seen since the days of the Shodai and Madara Uchiha.

The Kyūbi no Kitsune.

However, he did feel a sense of dread settle within the pit of his stomach when his most trusted subordinate, Hinoe, had informed him that the toxic chakra signature, one that could only belong to a jinchūriki, was headed straight for the hideout.

This… was not something he had planned for.

Of the information gathered on the boy by his operatives, he is powerful, far stronger than anyone else his age. There had been no indication that he had accessed the Kyūbi's chakra. So now, he has an angry jinchūriki headed for his base, seemingly with a purpose rather than simply lashing out in his rage.

The ten year old boy could access his bijū's chakra and remain conscious rather than losing his mind, giving into the power of the beast.

And he was headed straight for them.

"Hinoe, prepare the traps. Komachi, rally all available forces. Get the trainees into the tunnels, arm them to the teeth. The jinchū-"

Whatever the scarred war veteran had to say was cut off as the entire base shook as another roar, this one much closer, much louder, reverberated through the underground base.

Death has come.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Team Ro's frantic chase of the crimson bolt that raced through the dense understory of the Forest of Death ended almost as suddenly as it had begun.

The group of elite shinobi hovered behind the jinchūriki as he stood on the forest floor, disturbingly still for the briefest of moments. Then, he simply started walking deeper into the forest, a far cry from the wild chase that has brought them into the forest.

"Mah. Why are we walking, Naruto-san?" The lazy drawl of Team Ro's captain broke the silence.

"To let the teme prepare his little toys," Naruto responded, uncharacteristically angry. _"This is for you, Shisui, Itachi, Yahiko, Konan, Nagato."_

Before his rebirth, Naruto would have vehemently against the idea of killing someone. Every life was precious. Every person could be redeemed. Zabuza, Nagato, Obito. They had all redeemed themselves, giving their lives to protect the many.

Then, upon reading more and expanding his knowledge, he realized something: people are only redeemable if they _want _to be redeemed.

Zabuza had been a father to Haku, something that he wanted more than anything else. Even with his arms disabled by Kakashi, he charged headlong into Gatō's thugs with nothing but a kunai between his teeth. He wanted to redeem himself, so that in his final moments, he wouldn't be a monster, but a man, one worthy of the devotion Haku had shown him.

Nagato had given his life to resurrect those who had died during the Konoha Crush. He wanted peace. Upon realizing that the path of violence and subjugation would only lead to more suffering, he had given up his way of achieving peace, leaving the torch, the dream, of the Akatsuki to Naruto.

Obito wanted to redeem himself for Rin. 'Nough said.

People like Danzō, Gatō and Dotō - he could see a pattern beginning to form here - who only cared about attaining power and nothing else, couldn't give a damn about being redeemed. To them, people were pawns to be sacrificed for whatever ambition they have. To them, there was nothing to be redeemed.

"Gaki, this is going to be the hardest fight of our lives, yet you wish for the enemy to further entrench themselves?" Kame (Turtle), spoke up.

"Yea." Naruto looked back over his shoulder at the operative. "If you wanna run ahead, that's on you. I want the rat to squirm." He glanced at the rat-masked ANBU. "No offense."

Originally, Naruto wasn't like this. However, under Izumi's training, he learned of the young woman's penchant for mentally and spiritually breaking her opponents. This was something he'd picked up.

"_An opponent who has no will to fight is easier to subdue,"_ he recalled. He wanted the bastard to know that no matter what he did, no matter what pair of blessed eyes he got his hands on, there was nowhere for him to run, nowhere for him to hide.

Several times, he'd been caught in her **Genjutsu: Sharingan** and he'd almost given into the anger. Instead of losing himself to his anger and the animal instincts that came with it, he did his best to stem his anger. With his understanding and acceptance of his darker half, he could better handle the hatred that came with seeing things within the genjutsu. It didn't make the emotions that they dredged up any less potent.

Team Ro stopped as soon as Naruto did. Standing at the base of a cliff located within the Forest, the squad waited waiting for their plus one to move.

"They're done."

Before any of them could blink, Naruto cocked his fist back and slammed it against the cliff face. At first, they expected for him to pull his hand back in pain, the bones in his hand shattered and his knuckles bloodied. Instead, a sliding door made to resemble the smooth, gray stone of the cliff was blown inwards, causing numerous cracks to appear upon the stone frame that once held it.

"_Is that… Tsunade-sama's enhanced strength technique?"_ Team Ro was clearly flabbergasted upon seeing the destruction caused by nothing but the boy's fist.

"Ikuzo (Let's go)."

It was rather unnecessary to say aloud as the team followed behind Naruto. This wasn't just a chance to remove Danzō from the village hierarchy, but also a chance to see what the blond enigma can do. One Neko masked member of Team Ro is especially curious. She had sparred many times against the tall blond, but she had never seen him use the Kyūbi's chakra nor had she ever seen him go all out.

Against the hundred or so ROOT ANBU hidden within the base, Naruto knew that he could take on all of them if they went up against him one at a time, but he was on a time limit. He didn't want to risk Danzō getting away and alerting any allies he may have.

"Traps," he called out for all to hear.

Before anyone could offer to disarm the traps, Naruto reared back his arm. His dense yellow chakra collected beneath the veneer of caustic bijū chakra. Unlike Tsunade's pinpoint chakra release technique, Naruto had found a bastardized version of it, capable of being used by anyone whose chakra is dense enough. It replaced the pinpoint timing and intense chakra control for overwhelming chakra volume and density.

"I don't have time for your games! Where is Danzō?!"

Naruto slammed his chakra covered arm into the ground, sending forward a shockwave of destruction, spreading out in a cone in front of him. Whatever traps had been laid out failed as the shockwave triggered or destroyed them. Hidden along the ceiling and walls in between those traps were several ROOT ANBU recruits, forced to abandon their camouflage cloaks and positions alike.

"Che. Hiding behind _children_." Naruto frowned beneath his mask. "How low will that bastard stoop?"

Giving Team Ro no time to act, he charged forward, leaving behind a trail of caustic chakra burns along the ground. The recruits, who have barely been trained and blooded, fell as Naruto used his fists to knock them out.

"Get out here, you one eyed freak!" Naruto roared down the hall, his guttural voice echoing against the stone walls. "I want you to see it coming you backstabbing old fuck!"

The wave of caustic chakra then dissipated, followed by a thick plume of smoke as Naruto's clones filled the chamber.

"Get every recruit out of here and to the top of the Hokage Monument, but don't dispel yourselves when you get there."

"Ossu!"

The ten clones fell behind, gathering the downed recruits, removing weapons and tying them up with ninja wire. Making use of the **Shunshin no Jutsu** **(Body Flicker Technique)**, they went straight back out of the Forest and towards the top of the Hokage Monument, the only place with enough open area and clandestined enough to deal with the mass of incoming bodies.

_Poof!_

"Get Hokage-sama to the area behind the Monument."

"Ossu!"

Inu then walked up to the original, eyeing him warily. Someone who was ten years old, but could use Shadow Clones without so much as a hand seal nor exhaustion was not someone you wanted to cross.

"**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)**? Who taught it to you?"

"Itachi-sensei did." With the mask on, he referred to his sensei using her mask rather than her name, something she had drilled into his head. Repeatedly. With the pommel of her tantō.

That was all the chatter they'd managed to muster up as they broke through the entrance hall, opening up to the central room, a massive open chamber crisscrossed with numerous walkways and countless support beams.

The thing about exiting a corridor into a large open area filled with walkways: it makes for a perfect choke point.

"**Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique)!**

"**Fūton: Daitoppa (Wind Style: Great Breakthrough)!"**

Met with a barrage of Wind-infused Fire jutsus, the group could only scatter, hopping onto the walkways and meeting their enemies head on in a flurry of fists and blades. At first glance, it might appear as if Team Ro was at a disadvantage, a squad of only eight faced against dozens upon dozens of ROOT operatives.

_Poof!_

Until one Naruto Uzumaki decided to put the moniker his sensei had given him to the test: "The One Man Army."

"Banzai!"

Where members of Team Ro once stood alone against dozens of opponents, the tide of blond haired clones that flooded onto the scene shifted the numerical advantage.

Inu charged forward, his implanted Sharingan shining menacingly beneath the shadows of his mask. Every pair of eyes that made contact with his Sharingan were placed in a subtle genjutsu, making them believe he was moving slightly slower than his true speed.

Dual wielding kunai and channeling his Raiton affinity through the iron tips, the silver haired nin would have flowed through his opposition were it not for the limitations of the narrow walkway. Without the Sharingan, he was a formidable opponent for any competent nin. With his Sharingan, he became a monster in close quarters.

Wielding genjutsu and taijutsu in conjunction, Team Ro's Buntaichō easily held his own against a trio of ROOT ANBU. When Kitsune's clones fell in beside him and beneath him, running along underside the walkway, what was a daunting task of holding their own against Team Ro's leader became an impossible mission of staving off an accomplished Sharingan wielder and a squad of flanking clones.

The first clone to come to his aid came from below. Using chakra to stick his hands to the bottom of the walkway, the clone swung his body upwards, slamming both feet into the side of the nearest ROOT agent. Before his feet could even touch the ground, the clone was forcibly dispelled by a blade through his chest.

The wounded operative, whose rib cage had been cracked in several places, was replaced by another member. Yet, so was the clone. A pair of gloved hands broke through the stone of the walkway and latched onto the feet of the leading ROOT operative, holding him down while Kakashi held off against the two who pushed forward.

Just as the immobilized nin was about to stab into the clone's hands to dispel the annoyance, another clone swung up from beneath the walkway, smashing his shin right into the masked nin's head. What would have sent him flying instead left him knocked out.

Still, that was only one out of the many dozens of enemies, enemies who must be dealt with, one way or another.

The air was quickly filled with shuriken and kunai, thrown by the clones and ROOT operatives too far away from the front lines to provide adequate support. With too many allies in the melee, any area of effect jutsus would only cause unnecessary casualties to their own operatives. Only Izumi's rigorous training regime allowed Naruto and his clones to meet the flying blades of metal without fear. Rather than trying to track each individual flying star in hopes of catching them mid air, Izumi had taught him how to predict the flight path based on the movements of the arms and fingers of his opponents.

Countless hours of practice with clones later, Naruto could confidently meet any opponent's flying shuriken with his own.

Neko (Cat) fell in line with Risu (Squirrel), using their teamwork to hold the line against numerous enemies. While the pale blond man used his affinity for Yin-based genjutsu to disorient his enemies, Neko's proficiency with the blade allows her to wound the vulnerable operatives. Had it been the average shinobi that they were facing, such a deadly combination and efficient teamwork would have already reduced their opponents to bloodied chunks of flesh long before the enemy could break out of their genjutsu.

However, they were facing ROOT ANBU, trained by the best of the shadow organization to serve Danzō until the day they died. Those bastards weren't going down without a fight.

When one agent's chakra is disrupted by Risu's (Squirrel's) genjutsu, those next to him would flare their chakra, disrupting the genjutsu for their comrades. Neko's (Cat's) usage of kenjutsu, however, kept the enemy at bay, even wounding any who overextended. Her style's use of sweeping sword strikes make for a great crowd control asset while letting her flow with the tide of battle. In the dark lighting of the base, her blade became a silver mirage, gliding from one opponent's blade to another.

With their number's advantage and Risu's (Squirrel's) genjutsu specialty out of its depth, Naruto's clones came as a godsend. This time, they took the aerial route, dropping straight down into the action from above. Heavy fists came down upon their targets, aided with the pull of gravity, to deliver bone crunching strikes. Even with the element of surprise on their side, however, most of the masked nin managed to dodge or block against the clones' onslaught. With the decisive strike a failure, the battle for the highest walkways became a battle of attrition: which side can last the longest.

Hȳo (Leopard), Karasu (Crow) and Kamakiri (Mantis) fought together on the central platform. Hȳo stood back from the frontlines, using his Mokuton to either impale his opponents or to cover his allies, but the chakra intensive jutsu means he could only hold the line for so long against such overwhelming odds. Karasu (Crow) and Kamakiri (Mantis), held the main battleline, using their precise and efficient kenjutsu and taijutsu styles, respectively, to hold the line.

The flood of blond haired shinobi came as a welcome reprieve for the trio of shinobi. Their wakizashis became indistinct blurs as they rained down upon the enemy, forcing the operatives into a defensive formation or risk being overwhelmed through sheer numbers. Several of the nin broke off from the collective, jumping onto the walls and unoccupied walkways to put distance between themselves and the tide of blades.

Up above, fighting along the walls of the base, are Kaeru (Frog), Nezumi (Rat), and Kame (Turtle), separated from one another by a flanking maneuver from several ROOT and their Doton jutsus. Nezumi (Rat) and Kame (Turtle) have already been injured, glancing injuries, but injuries nonetheless. Nezumi (Rat) bore several cuts along her arms and shoulders. Although they are superficial, the stinging sensation is an annoyance, one that cannot be afforded during life-or-death situations. Kame (Turtle) sported a bruise along his right shoulder, centered around his ANBU tattoo, along with several scorch marks along his shin and forearm guards from several Katon jutsus. Kaeru (Frog), was faring better than his allies, but he was on the run, kept moving to dodge the shuriken, kunai, and tantōs aimed at his person.

When Naruto's clones spawned, two dozen clones headed straight for the isolated trio, providing the necessary backup for them to regroup and defend themselves as a team. Several clones drew their blades, clashing against the pursuing nin to buy time for the members of Team Ro to regroup. However, these clones were merely a distraction; the true threat came from the stone walls.

_**"Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu (Earth Style: Headhunter Technique)!"**_

Several pairs of hands lashed out from the stone walls, coordinated to give the enemy minimal response time, grabbing onto the legs of the enemy nin and pulling them straight into the walls. Like the name would suggest, the technique left them buried up to the neck within the stone walls.

"Where is Danzō?! Where is that one-eyed backstabber?!"

"Do not insult Danzō-sama!" Several of the masked shinobi hissed, angered by the insult directed at their leader.

"What the fuck is he gonna do about it? Steal my eyes?!"

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Izumi hopped through the rooftops alongside her mother and Satsuki as they raced towards the hospital. Periodically, her head would turn towards the Forest of Death, an unreadable expression on her face.

"Extended family of Shisui Uchiha. We need his room number."

"Shisui Uchiha, recovery ward seventeen, east wing, on your right," the attending receptionist replied after pulling up the records.

A hastily murmured "thank you" left her lips as they ran towards their destination.

She didn't have to read the room numbers to know when they'd reached their destination; she only had to look for the shock of blond hair standing guard outside.

"Hey." The clone smiled and knocked against the door. "Nii-san, you decent?"

"I'm wearing my hospital gown if that's what you're asking," was the muffled reply.

"Eh. Good enough."

When the door opened, she didn't know what to expect. An image of Shisui, lying bruised, bloodied, and broken had briefly entered her mind before she banished it with fervor. Seeing her beloved cousin, laying down in bed, his bandaged face turned towards them, almost made her sigh in relief.

"Who's visiting me?"

"Mikoto-oba-chan and the sisters."

As soon as the trio entered the room, they realized they weren't alone with Shisui, as another clone was standing in the corner, peeling an apple for the bedridden boy.

"Ah. Oba-san! You didn't have to visit. I'm fine thanks to Naruto here."

"Nonsense," Mikoto chastised. "You're family." She turned towards the clone. "Thank you, Naruto-kun."

"Mah mah~. Family has to stick together." He handed the apple slices he'd been cutting to Shisui.

"Are you alright, Nii-san?" Satsuki asked from the side of the bed.

Even without his eyes, Shisui's hand landed perfectly on her head.

"I'm fine, Little Moon. I'll be out of here in no time."

Mikoto had already commandeered the clone's job of peeling fruit in the scant seconds she'd been in the room. Izumi, upon seeing the only other male she was close to safe and recovering, turned towards the now jobless clone.

"Where is Naruto?"

As if a switch was flipped, the clone's eyes turned from annoyed to frigid animosity in a split second.

"Bringing the ones responsible to justice."

This was news for everyone, including Shisui, who looked up at the clone in spite of the bandages and his lack of sight.

"_What?_" He hissed out. "You went after Danzō?"

"Well, the boss didn't go alone." The clone clearly knew the original was in hot water when Mikoto glared at him. "He went with Team Ro."

"Naruto Uzumaki." Oh Kami, the boss was so _fucked_. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't put you under house arrest until you graduate from the Academy."

"The boss wanted to protect you guys," he managed to get out. "And he's bringing back Shisui's eyes."

"Protect us?" This time, Izumi was the one who spoke up. "You wanted to protect us by charging headfirst into danger?!"

"I'd rather put myself into danger than let you get hurt like this!" the clone pointed towards Shisui.

"You're a ten year old boy, Naruto! What made you think you could take on a shadow organization of ANBU and their leader with only nine people for backup?!" Izumi was upset, but she knew there was nothing she could do.

"I thought training with you did! I thought I was training so I could protect you! I thought I was training to protect the only people who gave a damn about me!"

She would have slapped him, she really would have, but it would have dispelled the clone.

"We can take care of ourselves."

"Doesn't mean I don't want to protect you!"

Sometimes, he made it really difficult to be upset at him. This was one of those times. She just hoped he'll be alive by dawn's light for her to slap. Then hug. She glanced at the moon's position.

Then drag off to bed.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The once stale, grungy and intact ROOT base had been turned inside out. Where dirt and dust had been the primary method of decoration, rubble, scorch marks, and crimson stains had taken over. Scores of blank masked operatives lay strewn across the ground like stringless puppets, abandoned by their puppeteer. In a way, it was an accurate metaphor.

Dozens more lay tied up by ninja wire, their chakra suppressed through tags or knocked out. However, none of it brought a smile to Naruto's lips; Danzō wasn't among the dead nor captured. The majority of the operatives have been defeated, one way or another. The recruits are taken care of by his clones, brought up to the area behind the Hokage Monument.

Fifty-eight recruits. Under the organization's graduation policy, that would make for twenty-nine potential ROOT members. Forced to grow up together with a brother-in-arms, only to kill them on the day of graduation, this almost guarantees the suppression of both memories and emotions within the fledgeling shinobi.

Closing his eyes once more, he spread out his senses, looking for the crippled warhawk. Danzō could not - _will not_ \- escape. That monster must pay for his crimes. What he found made his blood boil in anger and annoyance.

"He's running," Naruto called out to Team Ro. He'd left behind almost all of his troops as a distraction so he could escape. _Despicable_.

He would have spoken further when he sensed someone, some _thing_ so toxic, so _foul_, that he physically recoiled.

Giving no warning, he took off, not heeding the call of "Wait!" from the rest of his team. That bastard wasn't getting away. Not on his watch.

The gray stone and metal of the underground base gave way to the muted greens and browns of the forest, made nearly pitch black in the darkness of night. He didn't notice any of it though, too focused on his prey to care about the scenery. Behind him, he could feel the natural energy ebb and flow around his team as they gave chase.

Tree hopping towards his target, Naruto realized where they were going: the northern border. To the north of Hi no Kuni lay Kaminari no Kuni (Land of Lightning), Yu no Kuni (Land of Hot Water), and Ta no Kuni (Land of Rice Paddies).

From the presence he could feel Danzō heading towards, if they didn't catch him tonight, there would be no telling when they'd ever cross him again.

The thought of letting Danzō escape, the man that ordered the execution of an entire clan, left a bitter taste in his mouth. He pushed onwards, even faster than before. Fueled by emotion and the need to complete their - no, _his_ \- mission, his chakra control slipped. Every leap he made left behind shattered branches and splintered bark as his chakra lashed out.

"DANZŌ!"

His scream echoed throughout the Forest. He knew he alerted his target, but he also knew there was nowhere for them to run.

Leaping straight from the canopy towards the target, Naruto slammed fist-first into the ground, annoyed that his target had dodged the attack. The resulting miss had, instead, cratered the ground, kicking up a mountain of dust and dirt.

One of Danzō's bodyguards tried to decapitate him, but was intercepted by Naruto's wakizashi. Before the blank masked individual could stall him, Team Ro arrived. Neko's blade, drawn and in motion, nearly bifurcated the nin, forcing him to jump away, back to the side of his master.

"Kukuku. So this is the one that's been pursuing you. You've lost your touch, warhawk."

The raspy voice that hissed across the forest floor sent a chill up the spines of everyone present. Team Ro took a moment to reevaluate their mission, mentally coming up with any plan they could to accomplish their mission without sacrificing their members.

Against the man that stood before them, nothing came to mind.

Patches of deathly pale skin shone under the moonlight. His slitted yellow eyes shone unnaturally bright in the shadows of the forest floor. His plain grey garb, ghostly pale skin and black pants gave him an ethereal appearance.

A ghost.

A phantom.

"Orochimaru."

* * *

**DUN DUN DUN! ****Man, even when I'm writing about battles, all I can think about is all that cute shit that could happen between Naruto, Y****ūgao, Izumi and Satsuki. Need some ideas on development of their relationships. Satsuki will definitely be a cuter, more friend-driven relationship that will slowly blossom into romance, that is locked in there. ****Y****ūgao and Izumi, though, are more uncertain for me. Are they gonna take a chance and just risk it or are they gonna play it safe? In the life of shinobi, they'll probably take a chance and risk it, but they're still human, so I think they'll be a little more reserved about it.**

**I dunno. Tell me what you guys want and we'll see if I can make your wishes become reality. Anyways, you know the drill:**

**Smile and have a nice day!**


	10. Trust

**I'm back! Sorry for the long delay in this chapter. I couldn't figure out the fight scene. I might come back to edit it later when I feel like it or just have the time. But the story goes on. I literally poured weeks of time into the fights, but I just couldn't figure out how to tell it without making it sound overly long and technical. That and I was working on the other two stories, fleshing out the story for "The Traveling Ninja" and to get the next chapter for "Of Foxes and Dragons."**

**Chapter 10: Trust**

The moon had long since passed its zenith, beginning its descent towards the northwest, but the family's favorite blond has yet to return.

Izumi wasn't pacing, yet everyone could see the worry in her body language, something truly surprising to be seen from the stoic girl. Satsuki had already fallen asleep a long time ago on the couch of the Hokage's office, her head placed on her mother's lap as the Uchiha matriarch stroked her daughter's hair to keep herself occupied. With nightfall, the hospital had closed down to visitors, leaving only a skeleton crew to man the hospital and care for the patients, leaving the Uchiha family to await for Naruto's return within the office alongside Fugaku, Kagami, and the Sandaime.

_Knock knock! Knock knock knock!_

"Come in."

The door opened, revealing the blond they had been patiently awaiting. That sense of relief, however, was replaced by dread upon realizing that Naruto had returned alone.

"Danzо̄'s base has been cleared out, Hokage-sama. ROOT members are either detained or eliminated. Danzо̄ himself is on the run with a security team, headed towards the northern border. Team Ro and the boss are in pursuit, but we have a new problem: Orochimaru of the Sannin is here."

That name caused everyone within the office to stiffen. Izumi was the first to react, pouring chakra into the ANBU tattoo upon her shoulder. Her civilian garb was replaced with her ANBU gear in a plume of smoke, a marvel of fūinjutsu used by the corps. When the smoke cleared, Izumi glared at the clone, daring him to speak against her decision.

"I'm going out there."

It wasn't a suggestion.

"So will I," the old Hokage stated. "Orochimaru is my mistake. It is high time that mistake has been rectified."

"Be careful," Mikoto whispered from her spot on the couch, still stroking Satsuki's hair to keep the girl asleep.

"I will send Teams Yū, Kо̄ and Han with you," Fugaku stated.

"Well, you'd better hurry. The boss already started fighting. And this time, he's not holding back."

x-x-x-x-x

_**"****Katon: Gо̄kakyū no Jutsu! (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!)"**_

Kitsune's fireball slammed into the ground, appearing as if he'd roasted the pale-skinned Sanning alive. He knew better. Sure enough, a series of snakes broke through the topsoil before coalescing back into the shape of the despicable nin.

"Kukuku. A very impressive Katon jutsu, Kitsune-kun."

_"Damn it all. There's nothing I can do with this limited arsenal. Only the __**Rasengan**_ _and its variants could hope to completely destroy the snake." _He glared at the snake, who was still smiling as if he wasn't fighting a serious battle. "_Senjutsu will have to do."_

Spawning another contingent of clones, they scattered to the trees, some of them making their way towards Team Ro, who sought to detain the traitorous councilman while others charged towards the Sannin, blades drawn and in motion.

"An impressive chakra reserve, Kitsune-kun." The snake spoke as he weaved amongst the clones. Rather than blocking any attacks, the agile nin used his flexibility to dodge and strike with precision, true to the nature of his summons and taijutsu style. "_Now, let's see what's behind that mask."_

The original blitzed towards the Sannin, his arm reared back for a straight jab. The Sannin weaved clear of the punch, smirking as his hand snaked up towards the kitsune mask, the iron kunai in his hand almost unseen in the dark of night. One moment his kunai was slicing through the mask, the next, he was launched clear back across the clearing, his cheek caved in and cheekbone cracked.

_"That jab had clearly missed! What monstrous strength it requires to still hit your target with only the shockwave from your movements."_ Not even Tsunade could perform such a feat, requiring direct physical contact to injure her opponents.

Standing up, slightly dazed, he watched as the kitsune mask fell from the youth's face. The features weren't surprising to say the least, a mix of his father's angled features tempered by his mother's more rounded appearance. A perfect mix of the two. The feature that had taken him aback, however, was the orange pigmentation that surrounded his eyes, which now has a horizontal pupil.

_"Senjutsu?!"_ Suddenly, the impact that he'd experienced made sense. It wasn't the concussive strength of the youth's strike that had injured him, it was his use of senjutsu chakra. "_How has he become a Sennin at such a young age?!"_

Anger from being struck by a youth a fifth his age gave way to outrage, jealousy and intrigue. While he, the most prodigious snake summoner in history, could never learn senjutsu due to his body and chakra, this little brat - this _upstart_ \- had somehow obtained Sennin Mо̄dо̄ at the age of ten.

"Che. And here I was, trying to hide my face-ttebayo."

A scathing remark was on the tip of Orochimaru's tongue, but he swallowed it for the sake of keeping himself alive, jumping sideways to dodge a spinning axe kick that caved in the base of the tree he was beneath.

**"Sen'ei Jashu! (Striking Snakes!)"**

The slithering mass of snakes that emerged from the Sannin's cream-colored sleeve, lashing out against the blond. Their brief tenure as corporeal chakra manifestations, however, were put to an end with a few swipes of Kitsune's wakizashi. The instant Orochimaru's feet touched the ground, he took off into the canopy of the trees, hiding within the shadows.

"Kukuku. Not bad, _Naruto-kun_. Tell me, how did you ever manage to learn Senjutsu?" Channeling chakra to his voice box, Orochimaru focused his voice, bouncing it amongst the trees to hide his true location.

"Like I would ever tell you, _snake_!" Orochimaru received the surprise of his life when the boy turned to face him, his eyes locking onto Orochimaru's despite being shrouded in darkness.

_**"****Senpо̄: Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu! (Sage Art: Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Technique!)" **_

The viridian flames tore through the night, bombarding Orochimaru's location in a split second. However, they didn't stop when they reached his location; they ripped through the trees that he had been hiding behind before detonating dozens of meters in the air, clear of the tree canopy.

_"Such power!"_ Despite being so far away from the jutsu's site of detonation and shielded by tops of the tallest trees, he could still feel the shockwaves created by each fireball.

Anymore amazement for the viridian flames of the boy were put on hold as his position was blitzed once again. Since the boy's sen-taijutsu held too many unknowns to properly engage, Orochimaru fell back upon a weapon he'd recently come across.

His jaws unhinged as he reached down his throat and pulled out his weapon of choice, a double-edged jian. Its white grip and specialized brown guard made the weapon almost instantly recognizable to anyone who had more than a passing interest in kenjutsu or legendary artifacts. The Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi. The legendary "Grass-Mowing Sword," named after the way it is said to cut through almost any corporeal object like mowing through blades of grass.

Orochimaru's blade moved, remaining vertical with the tip pointed towards the ground, and blocked a horizontal slash from Kitsune's wakizashi, a move which had been aimed directly at his neck.

"You will find that it won't be so easy to kill this snake, Naruto-kun. I have _fangs_."

His message delivered, Orochimaru lashed out, swinging his sword arm with coiled strength, pushing Kitsune away with some difficulty. Chasing after the boy and swinging his Kusanagi in an arc, the Sannin was surprised when his blade met resistance. The blond's wakizashi glowed an ethereal blue, extending from the tip of the blade by several centimeters.

_"__**Hien (Flying Swallow)**__. A fūton user…"_

Orochimaru spun on a dime, his sword coming back towards Naruto from the other side. This time, he wasn't surprised when the boy blocked his sword. Their swords met in a shower of sparks as the indestructible blade of the Kusanagi crashed against the concentrated blade of fūton chakra. The Snake of Konoha, however, was not interested in a show of strength after witnessing the damage the young Sage had done on that tree with only a kick. His leg lashed out, catching the flat of his foot against his opponent's chest, pushing him off the tree branch that had served as their battleground.

His eyes followed the boy through the dark of night, watching every movement with unbridled fascination.

_"Interesting."_

x-x-x-x-x

The chirping of a thousand birds filled the air, an anomaly, to be sure, given the time of night.

_"**Raikiri (Lightning Cutter)!"**_

The blade of chirping lightning tore through the leg of a ROOT member who had jumped to dodge the strike. The act, although it had saved the man's life in the present, had doomed him to bleed out from the severed femoral artery, even with the limited cauterizing effect of the jutsu.

Inu's advance towards the enemy was halted when a kunai, adorned with an explosive tag, landed in front of him. He leapt backwards, his feet barely leaving the ground before the tag was detonated, leaving a layer of soot and dust upon the front of his armor and his ears ringing from the concussive wave that followed. His Sharingan swirled lazily as he searched the trees for any minute detail that would give away the position of his attackers. As his eyes searched the trees, he reinforced his ears with chakra to search for the sounds of footsteps, creaking branches and whistling blades while deadening the tinnitus. Though the kunai had come from above, he could find no sign as to where his attacker had hid.

_"If not above…"_

The instant his foot landed upon the ground, he slammed his palm onto the earth, sending a pulse of chakra through the soil.

_"... then below!"_

_**"****Doton: Tsuchi Nami no Jutsu (Earth Release: Earth Wave Technique)!"**_

The ground below him warped and rippled as his chakra forced the earth into motion. The roots of several nearby trees were exposed as the shifting earth dislodged them from their spot. His intuition paid off as two cracks appeared within the shifting soil, spitting out the hidden ninja. He was on the move once more, brandishing his tantо̄ and a kunai, heading straight for the two kunoichi. His tantо̄ found itself occupied by the ninjatо̄ of the blonde haired kunoichi while his kunai was parried by the kunai of the black haired kunoichi.

The blackette's only defining feature was the blank cat mask that she wore, contrasting against the long head of jet black hair that reached the base of her spine. A single lock of her dark hair draped itself between the ears of her mask. The blonde, however, bore more identifying features. Her cat mask bore three sets of purple whiskers and three sets of purple crescents, bisected by a single line. Her long blonde hair was held up in a bun, held together by three yellow hair pins, yet still left her hair long enough to reach the small of her back.

"Inu," the black haired kunoichi hissed.

"Yami (Darkness), Roku (Six)," the chronically tardy shinobi drawled.

The lazy captain bent himself backwards as the toned leg of Yami passed over his head. In the same motion, he kicked himself off the ground, backflipping over Roku's ninjatо̄, which threatened to remove his shins. He had no chance to catch his breath, however, as a barrage of senbon from the blonde turned his previous positions into pincushions. Without a doubt, several of those senbon would be laced with a toxin of some kind, neurotoxic, hemotoxic, or necrotizing; he didn't particularly want to find out which were coated and with what kind.

_**"****Doton: Doryūheki (Earth Release: Mud Wall)!"**_

A tall wall of earth, decorated with bulldog-shaped reliefs, erupted from the ground, blocking a storm of senbon, kunai and shuriken. The wall also had the added benefit of hiding him from view as a duo. He closed his left eye, preserving every last ounce of chakra that he can; he'll need everything in his arsenal to fight against these two.

_**"****Raiton: Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Lightning Release: Shadow Clone)."**_

Appearing in two plumes of smoke, the clones said nothing, yet moved with coordinated efficiency. Both replaced their tantо̄s, choosing instead to dual wield a pair of kunai. The original stayed behind, hidden behind the earthen construct.

_**"****Doton: Dochū Eigyo no Jutsu (Earth Release: Underground Movement Technique)."**_

The ground beneath his feet slowly gave way, letting him sink beneath its surface without a sound. He could feel, albeit barely, the vibrations of the footsteps above him, giving him the general locations of the two kunoichi. He pushed onwards through the earth, only emerging when his mental map told him he was hidden from view by a tree. With nary a sound, he jumped straight towards the higher branches of the tree. From above and with a bird's eye view, he planned for the fight ahead.

_"This'll be fun,"_ he mused, popping down a soldier pill, tensing his legs and opening his left eye.

He had his work cut out for him. "Roku" was good, but "Yami" was better. She is, after all, the best the Foundation had to offer.

But Sharingan no Kakashi was no pushover either.

x-x-x-x-x

_**"****Fūton: Reppūshō (Wind Release: Gale Palm)!"**_

Neko watched, from the corner of her eye, as a procession of clones used the Fūton jutsu to launch their brethren from the treetops, arcing overhead to cut off Danzо̄ and his team's escape to the north.

She and Risu (Squirrel) had found themselves to be the only two without any opponents, leaving them to chase after their objective with the squad of Kitsune clones. Speaking of which, she was going to have a word with him later, assuming that he survives his fight against the Hebi Sannin.

She would have missed the paper bomb placed against the north-facing side of the tree she stood on, were it not for the tell-tale hissing of the explosive.

_"Shit!"_

She pivoted on one foot, turning herself to face the bomb tag, crossed her arms in front of her and leapt backwards, letting her armored vambraces take the brunt of the explosion. That wasn't the end of her troubles, however, as a grunt of exertion drew her attention away from the explosion and towards the shadows of the forest. A large shadow detached itself from the inky darkness and charged towards her. A flash of silver within the night told her that whoever it was, they were armed and dangerous.

Her momentum carried her forward and, if she didn't do anything about it, straight onto the broadsword carried by the ROOT agent who had emerged from the shadows. She threw a threaded kunai away from the meathead that threatened to bisect her, pulling on the thread of ninja wire to pull herself to safety. Her arm moved to draw her ninjatо̄ as she glared at the burly ninja. With every movement, her arms protested, tender from the bomb tag she'd come across.

"A mouse hunting a cat? Shouldn't it be the other way around?" the muscle-bound shinobi taunted her.

"Is that what you think you're doing?"

Even without looking, she knew Risu would be moving to flank the giant of a man. The Kitsune clones, as good as the original might be, are still clones. They're not exactly the most reliable when it comes to prolonged fights.

"Your comrade won't be able to help you out here." True to his words, she heard the clash of steel off to her right, where she knew Risu had been before. "It's just you and me, koneko-chan (little kitten)."

Her brow twitched in annoyance. Real original.

The bear of a man leapt down towards her, bringing the broadsword down in an overhead swing. She rolled to the side, lashing out with her sword in hopes of getting a hit in. Unfortunately, her blade was blocked by the shinobi's vambrace, illuminating the night in a shower of sparks. Surprisingly, his vambrace managed to stop her blade, scratched but not pierced by the razor edge of her ninjatо̄. His sword had caved in the wood of the tree branch, its large frame preventing the mouse-masked shinobi from easily maneuvering the hefty blade. Knowing this, she pushed forward.

Neko rotated her blade, pressing the flat of her sword against his vambrace and pushed forwards. The shinobi, however, wasn't as defenseless as she'd hoped. His other arm brought the broadsword to bear, sweeping it across the tree branch, tearing up the bark with ease while pushing with his guard arm to veer her thrust off course.

Neko followed the movement of her blade, adding her own momentum to the motion, and hopped over the broadsword. Landing on her foot, she twirled on the spot. Her ninjatо̄ crashed against the broadsword, which had been brought up as a makeshift shield by her opponent.

Their deadlock was put to an end when the shinobi brought his free arm down upon the ground, sending a focused shockwave rippling through the tree branch. At such a close range, she could do nothing against the chakra pressure wave, sending her tumbling backwards. Barely righting herself into a crouch as she slid backwards, she leapt back as the man's sword tore through her previous position. Her leap placed her upon the massive trunk of the tree and out of the broadsword's reach.

_"That damn broadsword."_

The sheer weight and size of her opponent's blade made blocking it with her ninjatо̄ a strategic nightmare. She might as well snap her blade against the tree trunk right now if she even thought about blocking a strike from that weapon. If her ninjatо̄ wasn't going to cut it, then she'll have to improvise.

_"I've been hanging out with Kitsune too much."_

Her ninjatо̄ replaced, she pulled out a pair of kunai. He was slower than most shinobi, making up for it with his ridiculous strength and defense.

She'll make sure to take advantage of that.

Her legs tensed as he pulled his sword arm back, swinging the massive blade and unleashing a chakra shockwave. Not taking any chances, she backflipped up the trunk of the tree. Not a second later, the night air was filled with splinters and crushed bark. A meters wide gash tore open the tree, leaving Neko more than a little relieved for her evasive actions.

_"Well, that makes things a little more difficult."_

x-x-x-x-x

Itachi, donned in her ANBU regalia and the mask of her namesake, raced alongside the Shinobi no Kami. Behind them, three ANBU teams followed in their footsteps. She paid them no mind, keeping her eyes upon the trail of destruction that had been left by her beloved student. Scores upon scores of charred footprints were left behind by the caustic chakra of his tenant, something that she saw made many of the ANBU rather tense.

An unhinged jinchūriki was not something they would be able to handle. The best they would be able to do is run damage control. Among the three teams, along with Team Ro, they would have enough members to erect a strong enough barrier to, at the very least, mitigate the damage caused by any **Bijūdama (Tailed Beast Ball)**. Their first line of defense would be the Sharingan, both hers and Inu's. If they failed, however, it would be up to the Hokage and Hȳo of Team Ro to stop Kitsune.

The night, whose darkness had been all-encompassing, suddenly burned with the brightness of the midday sun. Every person within the forest found themselves blinded by the flash of light, desperately shielding their eyes behind their arms. The flash ended as soon as it had appeared, allowing them to push forward once more, after a moment of caution. As soon as they started moving, a wall of wind rushed past them. What could have been assumed to be a particularly strong gust of wind was easily recognized for what it really was: a distant shockwave.

Whatever had caused that flash of light had also created a shockwave powerful enough to be felt past the numerous trees of the forest. The same thing they were charging towards.

_"Kitsune."_ The words of the clone that had warned them of Orochimaru came back to her. _"'The boss already started fighting. And this time, he's not holding back.'"_

Is this what the clone meant?

"We must hurry!"

The Sandaime no longer looked like a frail old man. His physical age was still present, yet the aura of command he exuded spoke volumes of the strength he possessed in spite of his senescence.

"Hai, Hokage-sama!"

The contingent soon became a blur as they trailed behind the Hokage, following the metaphorical breadcrumbs left behind by Kitsune's chakra burns.

_"Kitsune…"_

The worry that she felt for her student was nothing new. It has been her constant companion ever since night had fallen, when he had joined Team Ro in exterminating the Foundation. Now, a new emotion came with the concern for her student: trepidation.

The minute hairs on her arms stood at attention, a result of the chakra that now charged the air in the wake of the earlier detonation. What has he been holding back during their spars? What more does she not know about the blond?

x-x-x-x-x

Inu loved being stuck between two women as much as the next guy. Seriously. As a big fan of Icha Icha, he's read every book in that series. Multiple times. He even has more than a few aspirations to recreate some of those scenes.

But being held in a stranglehold by ninja wire, dangling between two giant trees is too much.

Even for him.

_Poof!_

"**Genjutsu: Kawarimi no Jutsu (Illusion Technique: Substitution)?!**" [1]

One of his personal favorites. Did they really think it would be that easy to string him up? The chakra cloud that had covered "his body" - big quotation marks there - faded, revealing the log he'd used to act as a placeholder. May the Log accept his sincerest thanks.

Inu dropped from the branches above. Though his kunai was blocked by Roku's instinctive reflexes, his kicks and punches broke through soon enough. Before he could take her out of the fight, he was forced to roundhouse kick her away, giving him room and time to deal with the irate Yami. If he had to guess, she was pretty irate from being denied a kill, especially one of his caliber.

"YRAH!"

He was surprised as hell when the kunoichi unleashed a savage yell, going against all the ROOT training that should have suppressed such an animalistic response from her. He leaned forward, ducking underneath a vicious swing from the woman's ninjatо̄, flipping forward until his sandal collided against the spine of her sword, embedding it within the tree branch. The backhanded swipe from the sword that had passed overhead nearly disemboweled him, tearing through a few layers of his protective armor.

The butterfly kick that followed, however, snapped his head to the side. Backing away from the woman's acrobatic movements, he moved himself into double time when Roku found her way back into the fight, still fighting against the mental haze that came with the kick.

The forest canopy was once again filled with sparks of iron and steel as he fought off the two women.

"_Just a little bit more."_

Inu continued to backtrack, dodging and parrying any attacks that were sent his way. Though he managed to get a few shots past their guard, none of the attacks that landed would do anything more than annoy his pursuers.

Well, it's not like he planned on beating them with taijutsu anyways.

_"Now!"_

He tossed his kunai at Yami, who slid her head to the side, dodging the attack. Four shuriken followed suit, only to be dodged by the agile woman. At the same time, four more shuriken flanked her. Predictably, she charged forward, running past the projectiles with reckless abandon. For whatever reason, Yami seemed to have forsaken her training for this straightforward approach, doing anything she could to lash out at him.

Whatever it was, he was going to take full advantage of it.

Inu's fingers curled into fists, though it wasn't for the purpose of duking it out with the aggressive kunoichi. The shuriken that had flown past Yami suddenly changed directions, arcing and surrounding the kunoichi, whose movements suddenly halted as the strands of nearly invisible ninja wire pressed themselves against her limbs and torso.

_"One down,"_ he thought.

Crossing his arms, Inu's wires were pulled taut, screeching and straining ominously as he used them to catch Roku's descending blade. The wires, reinforced through their numbers and the way Inu had crossed his arms, having woven them into a tangled web between his splayed hands, held against the sharpness of the blade.

Giving the woman no time to collect herself, Inu pushed forward, kicking the woman in the gut before kicking her pommel of her blade as he pushed forward with his wires. Roku's wakizashi was sent careening into the air, spinning away from her slackened grip. Lurching forward, Inu grabbed onto Roku as he dragged Yami along, slamming his head directly against Roku's.

_"Hmm. Ow."_

The loud _crack _of their porcelain masks smashing against each other was reinforced by the screech of metal wires as they slid against one another, ensnaring their second victim.

_Thunk!_

Roku's wakizashi landed blade first into the tree branch.

His leg slid between Roku's own, tripping her before kicking her towards the embedded sword. Slipping the wires loose from his fingers, he gave the rolling Roku another kick, sending her off the tree branch. He slammed the heel of his foot against the upright sword's pommel, burying it to the hilt within the tree branch. The loosened wires wrapped around the handle of Roku's wakizashi, acting as an anchor point. The wires pulled themselves taut as she swung downwards, dragging Yami along with her.

He could barely hold back a lazy smile as the two kunoichi slammed against each other, eliciting a loud huff from the pair as the air was knocked out of their lungs.

His eyes trailed towards the dark haired kunoichi, curious as to the lack of skill and strategy she'd seen from her. As the top ranked kunoichi of ROOT, he had expected more of her. Though he was curious, he had to put his interests aside for the moment; he had a mission to complete.

_"Hmm. No more ninja wires for a while," _Inu decided as he shook his hands, trying to get the blood flow back to his fingers again. "_Not fun."_

"You know, you could've helped me," Inu called out.

"And get in the way of your coolness? I'll pass."

Inu gave the clone a conspicuous eye-smile. That was the best answer he has ever gotten from someone for being called out on their laziness.

"So why are you showing yourself now?"

"Clean up duty. Hokage-sama wants every ROOT nin accounted for, dead or alive." The clone gave him an update on the situation. "The Sandaime is coming here to deal with Orochimaru. The objective is still north-bound, ready to be cut off by my clones. The night is almost over."

x-x-x-x-x

_"I hate this chakra wave technique," _Neko thought angrily.

Their earlier exchanges had left her with a broken floating rib and several bruised ribs from the swipe with the flat of his sword. The chakra wave technique had nearly crushed her several times, leaving an uncountable number of wood flecks and splinters in her hair, skin and armor. Every movement brought her stinging pain as the miniature toothpicks dug into her skin.

ROOT's Nezumi (Mouse) didn't escape unscathed from their exchanges either. His knuckles and the back of his hands showed themselves, having torn through his glove from the constant expulsion of chakra for his shockwave technique. From the few brief glimpses she'd had of the man's exposed skin, she knew his skin and tenketsus were burning from repeated chakra use. Were it in any other situation she would simply wait him out, letting him burn his tenketsus until he could no longer use the shockwave ability or ran out of chakra, whatever came first.

Sadly, she was on a time constraint.

Leaping away from yet another charged wave from the muscled nin, she barraged the branch he stood on with several bomb-tagged kunai. Though none of the bombs' explosions got even close to him, they did force him to jump to safety.

Neko pounced on him from a nearby branch, intending to clash with him in mid-air. She flipped and slammed her feet against the flat of his blade, putting all of her weight and momentum into the dropkick. It did little to damage or disorient the nin, but that wasn't the point of the attack anyways.

Applying chakra to the soles of her sandals, she attached herself to the flat of the blade. Not a second later, she jumped away, but not before leaving a few presents behind. The ROOT nin could do little to save himself as the bomb tags she'd left behind on his blade detonated, his blade pressed against his chest from the force of Neko jumping off.

The broadsword shattered into several shards of jagged metal, piercing into the man in spite of the armored vest. Even from afar, Neko could tell that those wounds would be fatal. One of the shards pierced his right lung, another had left a severe cut along his right shoulder. Blood flowed from the wound, indicating the presence of a severed subclavian vein.

If he didn't bleed out soon, he'll just drown in his own fluids. Only someone of Tsunade's caliber could save him now and, as far as Neko knew, that woman was nowhere near the village.

Before she could assist Risu, she was forced down on her knee. The adrenaline of the fight had worn off, leaving her vulnerable to the pain and exhaustion that had been plaguing her. Fighting her way through the ROOT base packed with half a contingent of ninja and chasing their objective through the night has been taxing. Even with Kitsune providing support and acting as their frontline, it had been a difficult night.

Holding her hand in a half Ram seal, she extended her chakra. Soon enough, the soft, but still audible footsteps came down from above. Risu, though scraped up and bleeding from several light wounds, was still alive.

Neko released the seal and a sigh at the same time. At least it was her teammate and not a **Henge**.

"Flowing leaves, fading light," Risu stated.

"Changing currents, coming night," Neko finished.

It was Team Ro's code of confirmation, used in the case of separation to prevent subterfuge and infiltration from enemy forces.

"Damn, Neko-chan! You could've at least put him out of his misery first." The familiar voice of Kitsune called out from above.

"And you could've helped."

"Nah," the clone waved aside her words. "I knew you had it. You two head back to the village. The Sandiame and three ANBU squads are coming to deal with Orochimaru."

"And the objective?" Risu questioned.

"Hokage-sama has two squads of ANBU flanking them from a northern patrol. My clones are almost on top of him too. Old bastard is as good as dead."

With a nod, Risu approached Neko, draping one of her arms over his shoulders. Slowly, they made their way back towards Konoha, but not before Neko gave a parting shot at the clone.

"Tell your boss I'm going to have some choice words with him."

The clone didn't even have a chance to respond before they disappeared in a **Shunshin**, already a hundred meters away before he could even blink.

"Damn. Boss is so screwed." The clone then shudders, realizing how bad it is going to be when he comes home. "Yup. Fucked_._"

He just hoped he got dispelled before Mikoto got her hands on him. That woman is evil incarnate when she gets upset.

x-x-x-x-x

The original Kitsune was fighting for his life. He wasn't going all out, obviously. There was practically nothing the snake could do that would force him to use everything within his arsenal. But at the same time, there was nothing Kitsune could do to end the snake without exposing himself and raising questions that didn't need to be raised.

"Kukuku. I can tell you're holding back, Naruto-kun."

"So are you, Pedorochimaru. What's your point?"

His snark earned him a sword slash from the Sannin, something he would rather dodge than face head on. Over the last several minutes of fighting, Naruto had realized that he was nowhere near the Sannin's level of kenjutsu. He could block and dodge well enough with the aid of Sennin Mо̄dо̄, but he couldn't land any significant hits against the older nin with his wakizashi. At this point, the snake was just baiting him, waiting for Sennin Mо̄dо̄ to wear out, bringing with it the exhaustion of balancing natural energy.

Thankfully, his backup was coming soon enough. He just had to buy a little bit more time.

Leaping off the forest floor and away from Orochimaru, Naruto sheathed his wakizashi. His fingers moved through the seals necessary, his chest expanding as he inhaled deeply.

_**"****Senpо̄: Katon: Karyū Endan (Sage Art Fire Style: Dragon Flame Bomb)!"**_

From what Orochimaru knew to be a relatively close ranged katon jutsu, he had thought that Naruto was simply bluffing, using the jutsu as a means to create distance between them. The flames would light any trees around them on fire, creating a literal firewall that kept him from engaging the boy and the boy from engaging him.

Years of being a shinobi veteran, both before and after he deserted the Leaf, told him something was wrong, that there would be more coming from the jutsu than a simple torrent of fire. Erring on the side of caution, he bit his thumb and slammed his palm into the ground.

**"Kuchiyose: Rashōmon (Summoning: Rashōmon)!"**

A summoning array spread itself across the ground. The earth shook as his defensive summon appeared, a towering metal gate depicting the face of a fanged demon that rose from the earth, tearing through tree branches and uprooting several trees in its path.

Hidden behind the wall, Orochimaru could only feel the chakra build up within the air. Suddenly, his vision turned white, his eardrums rupturing as a concussive shockwave ripped through the area. Out of pure instinct, he leapt backwards, away from the Rashōmon Gate, but still kept the construct between himself and his opponent.

Not a second later, he felt a scorching heat wave wash over him. He could see through his eyelids as the blinding light of the katon jutsu seared through the flesh of his forearms and eyelids. The air became dangerously thin as the ravenous flames consumed the oxygen in the area.

What he couldn't bear witness to, however, was the jutsu's effect on the Rashōmon Gate. The viridian flames crashed against the demonic visage, the first wave of flames spreading across the surface of the metal gate with haste. The metal glowed as it heated, warping and giving beneath the pressure wave and spike in temperature. The wave of fire tore a jagged hole through the middle of the gate, the molten metal above dripping down in thick, viscous globs, glowing with indescribable heat.

The Gate had been destroyed in less than a second.

The torrent of flames didn't stop at the gate, instead pushing forwards and scorching a trail of fire and death for meters upon meters past the construct. Nearby leaves shriveled and combusted under the heat of the deadly blowtorch.

Orochimaru, in spite of his leap to safety, didn't escape uninjured. The heat had seared his arms, legs and parts of his torso, leaving debilitating second and a few third-degree burns. Even his flesh which had not been facing the inferno had not been spared. Any skin not directly exposed to the heat of the fire had been left red and flaking.

With a hiss of pain and annoyance, Orochimaru turned his head skyward, his jaw unhinged. A pair of slimy, pale hands gripped the jaws from within the depths of the snake's maw. A new, unharmed, yet disgustingly slimy Orochimaru pulled himself from the depths of his old carcass, which peeled away like a molted snakeskin.

"_That jutsu had set me back by nearly a third of my reserves."_

Orochimaru took a moment to take in the devastation before him. An entire section of the forest had been set ablaze. The center of the sea of fire glowed an iridescent green while the surrounding forest fire lit the night in different shades of yellow-orange. It appeared to be the start of a forest fire.

_"So this is the power of sen-ninjutsu,"_ mused Orochimaru.

For the second time that night, he could feel the bitter embers of envy burning within his chest. Such power, the ability to manipulate his ninjutsu to such an extent will forever be out of his reach. Not even his **Ten no Juin (Cursed Seal of Heaven) **is a match for a true Sage. He doubted even Jūgo could fight against the boy in terms of sheer power.

The briefest rustling of leaves gave away the boy's attack from above, dropping down with an axe kick, similar to his former teammate's **Tsūtenkyaku (Heavenly Foot of Pain)**. Having been on the receiving end more than once, he knew better than to tank the hit. Leaping towards Naruto, his Kusanagi aimed directly for the boy's head.

He couldn't hold back, not if he wanted to survive the night.

His sword slashed through the blond's head, only for the decapitated body to disappear in a plume of smoke. Several clones launched themselves towards the Sannin from amongst the trees, flying by his location with quick, precise slashes. A few of the strikes landed, but left only minor nicks and scratches, nothing beyond a minor annoyance. Two clones posted themselves on either side of Orochimaru. One managed to lock their blade against his. The other came in with a slash against the snake's side.

Orochimaru released several snakes from his sleeve, wrapping around the blade before the clone could pull away. He knew something was wrong when the clone did nothing but pulled his arms back, the snakes still coiled around the blade. Leaning forward, Orochimaru's Kusanagi pointed upward and extended, piercing through the clone that came from above.

_**"****Senpō: Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Sage Art Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique)!"**_

A green fireball swallowed the plume of chakra smoke and plowed through the tree branch Orochimaru stood on. The heat of the fireball set the tree alight and burned everything in its path to ash, only detonating when it collided with the ground dozens of meters below. Its explosion cratered the earth, melting stone and scattering clumps of glowing dirt across the forest floor.

The real Naruto, the one who had spewed that fireball, growled, annoyed by the snake's persistence. He had tunneled himself directly through the branch of the tree - an impressive feat of chakra manipulation - and burrowed himself underground.

_"Slippery bastard."_

"Very impressive, Naruto-kun. But I wonder: how long can you keep this up?" The snake smirked as he rose from the earth, eyes gleaming with intrigue. "Last I checked, Jiraiya hasn't been in the village for quite some time, so who could have possibly taught you senjutsu?"

"That's a secret between me and my sensei. Speaking of whom," Naruto paused, looking over his shoulder.

Not a second later, a blur appeared alongside Naruto. It was the Sandaime, fully garbed in his battle regalia and with a face like thunder.

"Orochimaru."

"Sensei. It's nice to see y-"

Orochimaru didn't get the chance to finish mocking the old veteran. His throat slowly bled, revealing a thin, almost invisible line spread across its pale surface. Blood pooled along the cut before his head fell over, thumping on the smoldering ground. The corpse's pale skin soon turned brown, sloughing off in moist clumps. Blood and flesh was nothing more than a collection of mud, revealing Orochimaru to be nothing more than a **Doro Bunshin (Mud Clone)**.

A pair of Sharingan glowed ominously in the darkness behind the clump of mud. The genjutsu that hid Itachi slowly unraveled, showing the former member of Team Ro with her wakizashi drawn.

"Kitsune, mission update," she ordered.

"Enemy nin neutralized. In pursuit of the objecti-" he paused, shaking his head. "Objective captured and on route back to regroup."

"And the real Orochimaru?" This time, it was the Sandaime who spoke up.

"Long gone. Headed to the northeast."

x-x-x-x-x

"And where do you think you're going, old man?"

Naruto's clone glared down at his target, smirking beneath his fox mask with obvious glee. The hunt has gotten his blood pumping and the thought of exacting vengeance against the bastard who had hurt someone he considered a brother was far too tempting.

"Uzumaki."

"I once had some modicum of respect for you-ttebayo. You might have seemed evil to most, but everything you did, there was a purpose: the betterment of Konoha." Those shining blue orbs hardened behind the fox mask. "Until I realized you were nothing more than a liar. The betterment of Konoha, for the good of The Tree. What a bunch of bullshit. You only gave a damn about yourself."

"Tch. And what would a child know on the matter?"

"More than you think. But it doesn't matter what you think or what I know. I'm just here to kick ass and get Shisui his eyes back. Plain and simple."

"Did you really think it would be as easy as taking them from me?" Danzо̄ stated after a pause. "You may be a powerful shinobi in your own right, as shown by your performance tonight, but I am a veteran of two Shinobi World Wars."

"And a cripple! Don't forget the important part!" the clone snarked, smiling sadistically beneath his mask. "In spite of my happy-go-lucky attitude, I won't hesitate to break your remaining arm and legs."

"You would do so in the name of Konoha? To complete your mission?" Danzо̄ was curious about this clone's response. Though the personality was somewhat different from what his agents have reported about the blond, clones were still representations of the original. Whatever answer the clone gave will give him an understanding of the boy.

"No," the clone smirked. "I don't give a damn about the village or the mission. The only reason I'm even after you is because your dumb ass targetted my family, targetted people I deem precious to me."

Internally, Danzо̄ frowned, letting nothing show on his face. That was not the answer he had been expecting to hear. Based on the psychological profile developed by Fū Yamanaka, he had expected the boy to use this mission as a way to get on the good graces of Konoha, especially amongst the shinobi population. This goes against everything that his ROOT shinobi had observed of the boy. Instead, he seems focused only on him and his. The fact that Konoha was their place of residence was merely an accident.

"Then this is merely for revenge?" Of all the responses Danzо̄ had expected, mirthless laughter was not one of them. "You find this… ironic?"

"Oh you dumb, old bastard. If I wanted revenge for all the wrongs I've faced in my life, this world would _burn_!" The laughter subsided, replaced by a soft, amused tone. "But enough talk! I came here to drag your ass back to Konoha and give Shisui his eyes back. So you can either come quietly or I could beat you senseless and drag you back that way. Either way is fine."

Danzо̄ pondered for a moment, weighing his every option he had. With his injured leg, yet to be healed by Orochimaru and his arm still handicapped, there was little he could do against the jinchūriki. His lone eye caught subtle movements from the corner of his vision, little blurs of movement that told him all he needed to know: he was surrounded, likely by more clones. He doubted he could do much against the boy in his current condition, but to return to Konoha would be a death sentence. He mourned such an event. Should he die, Konoha would no longer have a shadow ops division. There would be no one to protect the Great Tree from amongst the shadows.

He did not wish to see the smug look on Hiruzen's face.

"I… surrender."

But he had no choice in the matter.

x-x-x-x-x

The debriefing had been rather uneventful, a strict retelling of how the mission went by Inu. From the side of the Hokage's office, Naruto could feel the glare of his sensei as she bore a hole into the side of his head. She was rather disappointed in his strategic decisions, but, more than that, she was disappointed in the secrets he had been keeping from her.

"Team Ro, dismissed."

With a salute, a fist pressed over their hearts, the elite team disappeared without even a puff of smoke to signal their movements. This left Naruto alone with the Godaime, Sandaime and Izumi.

"Naruto, seiza." Naruto dropped down to his knees, resting his butt against his heels. "What were you thinking tonight? You gave your opponents a chance to fortify, entrench themselves against you and your team. You gave your target the chance to escape." Izumi's Sharingan swirled angrily as she lectured him. "Worse yet, you took on the likes of Orochimaru by yourself with no back up from your team." She crossed her arms, the glare seemingly worsened. "What do you have to say for yourself, Naruto Uzumaki?"

"I… uh… I messed up?" Naruto hesitantly started. "I wanted Danzо̄ to use up everything he has to fight against us at once rather than trying to bait us into a trap. His base has enough narrow walkways to make any fights against Team Ro difficult." He looked down into his lap, no longer meeting his sensei's eyes. "I didn't think he would run though."

"And what of Orochimaru? What do you think would have happened if he had taken you seriously and killed you?"

"I survived against him, didn't I? I sent him packing too, so it's not like I can't handle myself against him."

"But what if you didn't? Did you want us to arrive there and see Orochimaru beheading you? Even if you could fight him, you didn't have to take him alone. Team Ro could have held him off while you and your clones completed the objective."

"But…" Naruto held his tongue. "You're right, sensei." His words surprised everyone present. "May I be excused?"

"N-"

"Naruto Uzumaki, dismissed."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." With a **Shunshin**, Naruto left the office, headed back home..

"Hokage-sama-" Any protest Izumi had was stopped when her father held up his hand.

"It's been a long night, Izumi. Allow him to rest up first before lecturing him further. Right now, he needs your support and understanding more than he needs a sensei to lecture him. We both know Naruto is too stubborn to admit defeat the way he did. He either knows you will only lecture him further or is simply too tired to continue. You can lecture him later, once he wakes up again."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Though hesitant, she acquiesced. "May I take my leave?"

"Dismissed." Izumi disappeared after Naruto. "What do you think about Naruto's abilities, Sandaime-sama?"

Hiruzen took his time answering the younger man. Lighting up his pipe and taking a deep puff of the calming tobacco inside, the elderly ninja sighed.

"I don't know what to make of it, Fugaku. He is powerful, far more powerful than anyone his age could possibly be. This is without the power of the Kyūbi at his beck and call. That was not something I had expected from him. I… I fear what might become of him should he ever turn his back against Konoha. Kami knows the civilians have done nothing to garner his sympathy or compassion." Hiruzen looked up at the Uchiha, a serious frown stretched across his lips. "Make sure he has people to fight for, Fugaku. You and yours are the only thing standing between a loving Naruto and one who will burn the world to ashes."

"We should lift the laws you have established then, Sandaime-sama." Fugaku frowned, gazing out over the quiet village.

"Which one? The one that told the world of his burden or the one that kept him from getting his full heritage or the one keeping those who knew his parents from helping him?" The old man practically spat out his question, the caustic revulsion he felt for his foolish decisions. "Lift the first one and the civilians will openly curse his name. Lift the second and those who have spent their lives hating the boy will either reject the truth or start singing his praises."

Fugaku knew neither options would be beneficial for Naruto in the long run. False praise given by the civilians would only cause the boy to hate them all the more. Naruto enjoyed attention, but he also had a sense of honor, one that would absolutely despise the meaningless pandering to his nonexistent ego.

"Neither, Sandiame-sama. Let the jо̄nin know. No one else. Let those who have known his parents come to him. There are more than a few people who know of his heritage. He does look just like his old man, after all."

The old Hokage smiled. This option, at least, would give the more sensible shinobi a chance to see the boy, someone whose father they looked up to. Perhaps one day, they'll even look to him for leadership. Kami-forbid Naruto turning against the village. If that happened and his heritage was known, along with his treatment by practically everyone in this village, he doubted Konoha would survive the fallout.

"All right."

x-x-x-x-x

When Izumi came home, the sun was already peeking over the horizon, marking an end to the darkest night in her memory. Silently walking through the front door, she was hit with the smell of someone cooking breakfast. It was still a bit too early for her mother to be cooking, something the sound of running water from upstairs reaffirms, so there was only one other person in the house who would willingly cook breakfast. Her feet carried her into the kitchen, standing beside the blond with her usual mask of stoicism.

She observed him as he cooked, torn between lecturing him for his actions the night before and congratulating him for his first ever mission accomplished, something she assumed to be an S-rank, even without the interference of Orochimaru. Her quiet observation continued even as he set the table.

The tofu soup with extra chives and an extra pinch of miso - just the way she likes it - was undoubtedly for her. A side of cherry tomatoes was added to the pickled veggies she knew was her sister's. Her mother's side had a few more slices of tamagoyaki. Her father's side was served with extra fish and soy sauce along with a cup of dark coffee. One sugar, she assumed. Naruto's servings were devoid of any personalization. Just a simple breakfast for him.

Just as he finished setting the tables, she moved. Her arms wrapped themselves around his stomach from behind as her head rested between his shoulder blades.

"I'm glad you're safe." She squeezed herself closer against him. When Naruto still said nothing, she was worried that he was upset with her. "I just don't want you to take unnecessary risks."

"I know," Naruto whispered. "Thanks, sensei." He rested his hand atop Izumi's, taking in the warmth and comfort she was trying to convey to him.

"Will you… ever share your secrets with us?"

"One day," he murmured. "One day."

"Promise?"

"... I promise."

The two remained that way for quite some time, standing in the kitchen with nothing to say to one another. What neither noticed, too enraptured in their embrace, was the smiling mother, hidden behind the wall just outside of the kitchen.

_"Ara ara. What am I going to do with you two?"_

Well, the answer was obvious. She was going to tease them, of course. But she'll let them have this moment to themselves. They are just so damn _cute_.


	11. Visitation

11\. Visitation

Blood flowed from Naruto's lips as he stood on shaky legs. Even his **Six Paths Sage Mode** was doing little to protect him from the onslaught. He wanted to prepare himself on the off-chance that Kaguya might be resurrected this time around, even with everything that has changed upon his arrival. Last time, Team Seven had only emerged victorious from the battle against the Rabbit Goddess through teamwork and an unprecedented amount of luck. This time around, he sought help, the kind that would allow him to even the odds against the woman who had left him and Sasuke on the defensive for the majority of their fight.

That help came in the form of training with the two goddesses. It has been months, yet he has not been able to land a solid hit against either of them. And that was for the one-on-one fights. Against both of them? He might as well fight in his base form against Madara Uchiha and Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.

_At the same time._

He was pretty sure he would have more success then.

**"I believe that will be enough for tonight, Naruto."**

Dressed in splendent gold battle gear, Kagura looked like she was ready to march into war. Her golden helmet bore two adornments on its sides, similar to the blades of hook swords, ending just beneath her chin. Her horns were further emphasized by the golden plating of the helmet, forcing them into a point rather than the flat, ear-like form they had taken. Her chest is bound behind the plates of overlapping metal, resembling the scales of a dragon. Her upper arms lay bare of the scaled armor, protected, instead, by diamond-shaped pieces of a silver metal, laced together atop an unknown fabric or leather. Her inner thighs are similarly protected by the metal latticework, while the outer thighs are protected by the same scaled golden metal as her chest, ending at her feet in heavy golden boots.

He has been on the receiving end of those boots more times than he cared to count. They _hurt_.

The part of her armor that he feared the most - and was most in awe of - is the set of gold vambraces. The sheath of folding gold metal that wrapped around her arms and ended in a point at her elbows hide a deadly secret. Above her wrists, the vambraces hold an opening which allows her to channel her powers, taking the form of a purple blade which glows with the heat of the Sun. Even now, it remains activated, arcs of energy writhed and undulated, coming to a single point.

"Whe-Where can I get me one of those-ttebayo?" he joked, collapsing onto his knees as even the power of **Six Paths Sage Mode** faded away. His eyes returned to their usual blue color. His skin, however, remained deathly pale. He collapsed not a moment later.

**"Stubborn boy,"** Kagura cried out. **"We should have stopped over an hour ago!"**

She may appear aggravated, but it was only to hide the worry she felt for her champion. These training sessions have become less than productive. With each passing day that Naruto had fought against her or her sister, he had become more desperate, fighting harder for longer periods of time without resting. Even with Hagoromo's powers, he was courting Death by the end of every session.

The thought of her fellow deity courting her champion made the goddess's eye twitch in annoyance. That's one headache she did not need to deal with. That, and she was a tad possessive. Her older sister and these human girls are one thing.

The pale-skinned yandere is another.

"Your stubbornness is as aggravating as it is admirable," Kagura chastised, "but killing yourself from overexertion will neither delay Kaguya's return nor prepare you for her battle prowess." Her armor faded away in pixels of golden light, leaving her in her kimono. She wasted no time in settling Naruto's head in her lap, something she had come to enjoy doing in her free time. Her aura slowly but surely mended the mindscape around them, alleviating Naruto of the mental strain. "You stubborn, stubborn boy," she whispered, stroking his hair.

"I thought you liked that about me?" he mumbled, too drained to even do anything more.

**"Yes, but not when it leaves you at Death's door."** Even as they spoke, the state of Naruto's mental avatar improved. His pallor gave way to healthy, peach colored skin. The blood on his mouth and chin disintegrated. **"If you are not careful, your sensei might wake up next to a frigid corpse and not her beloved student."** She knew she had his attention when his eyes snapped open. **"So either behave yourself or you might break more than a few hearts the next time we spar and you refuse to back down. Or my sister and I will simply stop training you. Whichever comes first."**

"Yes, Kagura-chan." He wasn't happy with her demands, but he had to concede.

**"If you wish to properly prepare for Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, then it would be imperative that you get the cute little Uchiha to match you in strength. You are two halves of the same coin. With her powers as Hagoromo's Yin Aspect, she will mean the difference between victory and defeat."** She smiled at him. **"You wish to protect her from the horrors of the war that is to come, but that is not your decision to make."** He listened to her, keeping the more outspoken side of him from speaking out of turn. **"You know what it is like to have decisions be made out of your control. Would you wish the same upon Satsuki-san?"**

"I know," he sighed, "but it's hard not to want to protect her."

**"And to take the burden on for yourself."** She smiled deviously. **"Was that not what you had condemned the male Uchiha for in your last life?"**

"No?" Naruto blushed. "Maybe? Just a little bit?"

**"Your desire to protect is sweet and touching, but if you are not careful, you would only earn the young lady's ire. She is as headstrong as your former comrade. Protect and guide, but do not coddle. You will only make her upset, believing you are not confident in her abilities to protect herself. You are training her. Have some faith in her abilities."**

"You make me sound like a parent-ttebayo."

**"There are many times when the roles of parent and teacher are blurred. Often, the ties of blood become the only difference between them."** Kagura sighed. **"Satsuki-san aside, let us talk about you. When will you learn to take things slowly? Ever since you have retrieved the Uchiha boy's eyes, you have been desperate to fight Miko and I. Even your thoughts have become darker."**

She glanced around his mindscape, noting the dusk-like darkness that had replaced the light of morning after Naruto returned from his mission, some days ago.

**"You are focused, but you are too focused, Naruto."**

"How can I not be? I-"

**"You blame yourself for Shisui's critical condition following the attack."** Her eyes narrowed, glaring at him. **"You neither knew when the attack would occur nor the forces he would encounter. You are guiltless in this event."** Her glare softened. **"You are guiltless, and yet, you feel guilty."**

Naruto said nothing, opting to look away from her piercing lavender eyes. Kagura didn't let him stew in his guilt. She brushed her thumb across his whiskers, smiling at the huff he used to avoid purring.

**"You are worrying them. You are worrying me."** She continued to caress his hair. **"Preparing for the future is critical and protecting your friends at the cost of your own safety is admirable, but do not ignore what you have in the present. You have friends and family who are there to help you. Talk with them. Perhaps share your - our - secret with them."**

"But… would they believe me?" Naruto shook his head. "We're shinobi, Kagura-chan. They're more likely to think that I'm a sleeper agent sent to sow discord within the ranks of Konoha than some time travelling, dimension hopping reincarnation of the Sage's son and Physical Aspect."

**"When you put it that way, it does seem a bit far fetched,"** Kagura giggled. **"But do show them. Give them glimpses into who you are. Show them how powerful you are, but don't neglect the relationships you hold. The bonds you share and the drive you have to protect them are the only thing that differentiates you from those like Nagato and Obito."** Her smile turned slightly predatory. **"But I doubt I have to tell you to share your secrets. You did promise your sensei."**

"You saw that?" Naruto blushed. "Kagura-chan, that was a private moment-ttebayo!" He hid his face behind his hands, doing his best to block out the goddess's giggles.

**"Well, I am not the only one who saw."** She flicked his nose the instant he peeked out at her. **"Your sensei's mother also saw you embracing one another in the kitchen and sleeping together. A pretty girl hugs you and you abandon all semblance of situational awareness. I am disappointed in you, Naruto."**

Naruto blanched white.

"I am so dead-ttebayo! Why didn't you tell me sooner?!" Naruto bolted up, pacing about as he ruffled his hair. "Mikoto-oba-chan is gonna fucking kill me! What if she told Fugaku-sama?! He's gonna skin me alive! BOTH IN AND OUT OF A GENJUTSU!"

Kagura enjoyed the moment, letting Naruto panic and get it out of his system. Maybe she was feeling a bit sadistic and getting back at him for making her worry, but she's not going to tell him that.

"Kagura-chan! You have to help me!" He grabbed onto her shoulders.

**"Half of my payment now and half later,"** the devious goddess smirked.

"Anything you want!"

**"Kisses."**

"I- huh?! Kagura-chan, this isn't the time! I might die any second now!" Naruto flopped onto his stomach, facing directly into the ground. "I am so dead."

**"If you would let me finish instead of panicking,"** Kagura teased, **"you would also know that Mikoto is approving of your relationship with Izumi."**

"What relationship?!"

**"The one where you share a bed and hold each other like lovers,"** Kagura deadpanned. Two lives in and he's still denser than an Earth Release jutsu. This is going to be difficult.

"I'm ten, Kagura-chan! I'm too young to have a lover!"

Naruto said nothing else, still trying to make a bucket list of everything he needed to do before an angry father brings down his righteous fury upon his ass for sleeping in the same bed as his daughter. Kagura said Mikoto was fine with the "relationship" - he hesitated to even call it that - but she didn't say anything about Fugaku.

**"Does that mean you do not wish to kiss me anymore?"**

Naruto snapped his head up so quickly, Kagura feared he would have given himself whiplash. His jaw worked itself soundlessly, resembling a fish out of water.

**"It is fine if you do not want to."** Kagura demurely looked away from her champion, really milking the moment for all it was worth. **"I know you like your sensei more than you like me."**

"W-Wait, I didn't say that!" Naruto crawled towards the pouting goddess. "I didn't mean it like that, Kagura-chan! You're- mm!" In a single quick motion, Kagura had stolen a kiss from him, smiling like she had just won the lottery.

Kagura, seventeen. Miko, twelve. That is a lead she was going to keep with extreme prejudice.

"You're so mean, Kagura-chan." Naruto couldn't keep the smile from his lips. Kisses from the Sisters are rare, but the satisfaction he felt from their affection is more than worth the wait.

**"As I was saying,"** Kagura teased, **"Mikoto has yet to tell Fugaku about your arrangement with their daughter."**

"That's a relief." Naruto breathed out a sigh. "I-"

Both of their heads snapped up as they felt a presence pulse and echo deep within Naruto's seal.

**"He's late."** Kagura turned towards Naruto. **"Let us greet our guest, Naruto-kun."**

Grinning widely, Naruto closed his eyes, pulling himself and Kagura into his seal with practiced ease. As soon as his foot settled against the water inside of his seal, his hand caught a black shakujo that had been aimed directly for his head.

"Mah mah, jiji. Don't you think this is a bit much?" Naruto's eyes snapped open, revealing the slit-bar pupils indicative of Six Paths Sage Mode.

**"You bear my power, yet I do not remember gifting you with such."** The Sage's Rinnegan were narrowed as he glared at the boy. **"Explain yourself."**

"Time travelling, dimension hopper?" Naruto sheepishly grinned.

Kagura giggled beside him, drawing the Sage's attention.

**"Mother!"** Naruto's chuckle turned his attention back towards the youngster. **"Do you find this funny, child?! Do you not know who she is?!"**

"I do," Naruto admitted. "But she's not your mom, old man. She's a lot olde- Ow ow ow! Kagura-chan! Pwease! Gomen, gomen!"

Hagoromo О̄tsutsuki was at a loss for words as he watched who he thought to be his mother pinch and pull the blond child's cheek.

**_"'Kagura-chan?'"_** Hagoromo took a closer look at the woman who resembled his mother. **_"She does not bear mother's Rinne-Sharingan nor her stature."_** This woman, whoever she may be, is shorter than the teen, making her far shorter than his mother.

**"You were going to say I am a lot older than Kaguya, were you not?"** Her grip on his cheek has yet to lessen.

"I'm sowwy! You don't look a day over twenty!"

**"You had better remember that,"** the woman huffed, finally letting go of his cheek.

"S-See, jiji? She's not Kaguya-oba-chan. She's a lot meaner."

Kagura's fist collided with the back of his skull, shaking it like a rattle. Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, which smoked and hissed with the force of her blow. Hagoromo lowered his shakujo, his face slack with disbelief. That was not to last, as he steeled his nerves and set his face in stone.

**"If you are not my mother, then who are you, Kagura-san? And who is this boy who bears my powers and the soul of Ashura?"**

Kagura's grin couldn't widen any further as she looked at Hagoromo. Is this why her champion enjoyed pranking so much? This thrill? She was more than ready to tear him a new one for the stupid decisions he made in life.

**"A long story, Hagoromo. I assume you will have the time to discuss it?"**

x-x-x-x-x

"Yo, nii-san!"

Shisui looked up from his book, happy to have someone to talk to. As he looked up, he couldn't help but feel annoyed at the slight twinge of discomfort that came with the movement of his eyes. The operation was successful, but his eyes still felt strange and puffy, something the doctors had attributed to the chakra-laced fluid Danzо̄ had stored his eyes in.

"Naruto!" Even with the discomfort, he couldn't help but smile at the boy who saved his life and recovered his eyes. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, but shouldn't you be training with Izumi?"

"She gave me a couple of days off," Naruto replied, sitting down beside the teen, "but she made me write down everything I did wrong and what I could have done better." The blond sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "That one took awhile."

"Oh, I bet!" Shisui smirked.

"Oi! What's that supposed to mean?" Naruto scowled. Shisui was interrupted as he opened his mouth to reply.

"It means that you should spend more time learning battle strategy, human psychology and making better plans." Izumi frowned at her student. "While it is sweet that you wish to emulate me, I prefer you return safely from your mission." Izumi smiled at Shisui, placing a homemade bento onto his lap. "And how is my favorite cousin doing today?"

"I'm your only cousin," countered Shisui. Izumi was unfazed, merely raising an eyebrow at him. "Better, but my eyes still feel off. The doctor says it will disappear with time when the foreign chakra in my eyes dilute. It'll just take some time."

Naruto sat on the bed in silence, playing with his shaggy blond hair as another influx of memories returned from his training clones. They were still struggling to make a clone that would survive more than one hit, which is strange considering how durable a mud clone or an earth clone could be, so why was a Yang-based shadow clone so damn flimsy? He'll have to dive into chakra and jutsu theory to figure it out, something he had been avoiding like the plague.

Lost in thought, Naruto didn't notice Izumi sitting down beside him. He trusted her, perhaps a bit too much, so he paid no heed to the movement. What he did notice, however, was when she picked him up and placed him on her lap. All the while, her conversation with Shisui hasn't stopped.

"Perhaps we could speak with Inu to see if he experienced anything similar with his transplanted eye. I know his was a direct transplant, but if he experienced similar discomfort, then it would not be caused by the sterile fluid used to store your eyes." Izumi wrapped her arms around the boy-like form of Naruto, something she hadn't realized she'd missed.

"Ah. Could you speak with him if you get the chance?" Shisui tried to keep his amusement from showing as his cousin cuddled up to the boy in her arms. He didn't feel like getting pranked again by the blond. Naruto might look cute and harmless under his **Henge**, but laughing at him is a quick way to earn his ire.

Itching powder did _not_ belong in his underwear, thank you very much.

"I will, though you know how hard it is to find him," Izumi muttered.

"Inu? He's probably staring at the Memorial Stone." The two Uchiha looked at Naruto in confusion. How would he even know what that is? Neither of them have shown it to him. "He's," Naruto paused, looking at the clock, "probably there right now actually."

Throughout the years of his former life, Naruto had practically memorized the schedule Kakashi had used to mourn his former teammates and sensei before the war efforts became too much, finally putting an end to the man's habitual mourning.

Naruto leaned back against Izumi's chest, an action Izumi took as an invitation to rest her head atop his.

_"Hm. Soft,"_ Naruto thought.

Izumi's relaxed slump and lack of embarrassment told Shisui everything he needed to know: this isn't the first time they've sat together like this. If her head resting against Naruto's own meant anything, it was how common an occurrence this must have been for both to be so calm about it. He'll have to speak with Mikoto-oba-chan about this. He'll have to see what she thinks about this before bringing it up to Fugaku-sama.

They look very cute seated like that.

"Ah, Izumi-san, Naruto-san. I did not expect you two so soon."

A fourth person joined the trio inside the hospital recovery room. Doctor Ken Serizawa, Shisui's family doctor, has been tasked with overseeing Shisui's recovery. At a hundred and seventy centimeters (five foot seven), the adult male didn't cut the most imposing figure, but he didn't have to be as a medical ninja serving in Konoha's hospital. With a lab coat over his scrubs, the brown haired man adjusted his glasses with a smile.

Born of a civilian family, the man had worked tirelessly to become a medical nin. His smaller chakra reserves lent him a level of control rarely seen in most males, something he had put to good use by becoming a medical nin. Soon after his graduation, he had joined the Medic Corps. By the time he had graduated, the Third Shinobi World War had come to its conclusion: a decisive victory for Konoha and her allies. It was something he had been more than thankful for, as he doubted he would survive out in the field. While he was one of the battlefield medics, he didn't have the disposition for the battlefield.

Give him a dying man who had a punctured lung or a severed artery, no problem. Put him on the frontlines to support their troops? He didn't think he'd survive. It was ironic really. He could save people under his care, but not himself. Because of his subpar combat capabilities, he had been assigned to Konoha's hospital.

"Dr. Serizawa," the trio greeted.

"I see you already have something to eat," the doctor eyed the homemade bento. "I was going to bring you some food, but since your cousin has already brought some with her, I will only need to perform your check-up."

Placing his clipboard on the bedside drawer, the doctor shined a small flashlight into Shisui's left eye. He moved the light away from his pupil, waited and snapped the light back onto the teen's eye. Whatever it was that he saw made him frown, but he held his tongue, repeating the process with Shisui's right eye.

"Well, I have good news and I have bad news," the doctor began. "You're healing, that much is obvious, but your eyes haven't been healing as quickly as we have predicted. The muscles that control the size of your pupils aren't as reactive as they should be, taking a bit longer than they should to contract and relax." He ran a diagnostic jutsu over the teen's eyes. "That foreign chakra is still there, preventing your eyes from properly healing. Whoever provided their chakra for the preservation fluid must have been a truly cruel shinobi. Its malicious nature hinders your natural regeneration. Your body will fight it off, but it will take some time."

The three shared a look between themselves. They could already guess who it was that provided the chakra for the fluid.

"But I should be back to a hundred percent right?" Shisui asked.

"Ah, yes, without a doubt." The man adjusted his glasses. "It is only a matter of time, though I would estimate another two weeks before your eyes purge themselves of that foreign chakra, perhaps sooner if you activate your Sharingan frequently in the coming weeks. I would suggest having another Uchiha and a medical ninja to be on standby in case you do."

"Thanks, doc," Shisui smiled at the doctor. He couldn't wait to get the hell out of here. He enjoyed talking to the doctor but letting his mind properly acclimate to his recovery has been boring him out of his mind. He could still feel slight twinges of phantom pain whenever he moved his torso, but it was far less than the day he'd woken up after surgery.

"Think nothing of it, Shisui-kun." The man marked down the notes for the eye exam on his clipboard. "Well, I have a few more rounds to make. Have a good day, you three."

"See ya, doc."

"Have a good day, Dr. Serizawa."

"Bye, doc."

The door closed behind the man as he left, leaving the three in silence. Shisui was the first one to break it, his curiosity finally getting the better of him.

"So… is that a comfy seat, Naruto-kun?" He did not expect the answer he received.

"I prefer being the big spoon."

_"HUH?!"_ Mikoto-oba-chan is definitely going to hear about this.

x-x-x-x-x

**"Father!"**

The Kyūbi no Kitsune could not believe her eyes. Her father, the Sage of Six Paths himself, is standing within the seal, just beyond the wretched metal bars that held her captive.

**"It has been a long time, my daughter."** The old Sage smiled at her, walking up to the cage that held her alongside Kagura. **"How have you been?"**

**"Ha ha,"** she monotoned, though she couldn't help but smile at him. **"I believe my current situation speaks for itself. But what of you, father? How have you returned?"**

**"I have not returned K-"** Hagoromo cut himself off, glancing at Kagura beside him. **"You still haven't told them of your name yet, have you?"**

**"Should I have?"** The Kyūbi frowned. **"They have yet to prove their worth, father."** Her father laughed whole-heartedly at her response.

**"Your name still suits you, I see."** Hagoromo shook his head. **"I am afraid I must cut our pleasantries short, my dear. My time amongst this plane nears its end once more. This manifestation will not last much longer. Your jinchūriki, this Naruto Uzumaki, is destined for greatness, that much I can assure you."**

She could only agree with his assessment. Assuming that Kagura had filled her father in on the little secret that she shared with Naruto, the Kyūbi could only nod, hesitant to hear what her father had to say.

**"There is one who seeks to unleash _the demon_ upon the world."** The Kyūbi's eyes widened. She didn't need any further explanation from her father to know what he was walking about. **"The boy shall be this world's instrument of salvation, that much I know. He is the Child of Prophecy, after all."**

**"Do not be so sure, father,"** the Kyūbi frowned and shook her head. **"All I see of him right now is a womanizing brat with a penchant for these… _shinobi arts_."** She hissed out those last words, deeming them to be an insult to the art of Ninshū.

**"You will see, my child. Hopefully soon, lest this world be plunged back into darkness once more."** Hagoromo turned towards Kagura, stroking his beard. **"If what you speak of will come to pass and the boy is as virtuous as you have judged him to be, then perhaps there will be redemption for this world."** The old man sighed, showing his weariness for what is to come. **"To think that all of this suffering could have been prevented if I had been more firm as both a leader and a father."**

**"Hindsight is twenty-twenty, Hagoromo. Do not be discouraged. You are only mortal."** Kagura smiled, teasing the Sage. **"Now, anything else you have to say before you dissipate?"**

**"No, Kagura-sama."** The Sage shook his head with a smile. **"Thank you for putting an old man's fears to rest."** Hagoromo's body began to disperse as if he was made of smoke. **"Please take care of them. And give my regards to the boy."** He regarded the Kyūbi with a stern smile. **"Do behave, my dear. I know you hold no love for humans, but I do believe Naruto and his guardians will be different than the rest."**

**"As you wish, father."** The Kyūbi bowed her head, willing to give the brat a chance.

**"And tell them your name. And take care of your siblings. And give me a few gran-"**

As much as she loved her father, she couldn't help but feel grateful as he was cut off when the construct faded away. That left her alone with the goddess, who was staring at her hands with the most devious expression on her face.

**"Hm. I know Miko is not a sore loser, but she has defied expectations when it comes to Naruto…"**

**"What are you muttering about now, Kagura-san?"** The Kyūbi gave an annoyed sigh at the deity. She will give them the benefit of the doubt because of her father, but they will still have to earn the right to her name.

**"Oh~ nothing,"** the goddess sang. She clapped her hands together, that devious smirk easing into a more natural smile. **"I see Hagoromo wanted you to give him some gran-"**

**"We will not be speaking about that,"** Kyūbi interrupted.

Kagura smirked. Somehow, the bijū knew that this will not be the end of the matter. At least the jinchūriki isn't here to witness this conversation.

x-x-x-x-x

What she saw the other night was something Yūgao Uzuki never thought she would see: Orochimaru, the infamous traitor of Konoha, being fought off by a ten-year-old boy. Granted, he didn't look nor fight like a ten-year-old, but to put someone like Orochimaru on the defensive? There are battle-scarred shinobi in their very own village that she knew personally who wouldn't be able to claim such a thing.

Her pride as an ANBU was more than a little wounded by Naruto's ability to chase off a Sannin. An entire squad of Konoha's best ANBU was more than a little hesitant to fight Orochimaru, yet Naruto had leapt towards the man with clear intent. Naruto didn't just _think_ he was going to survive the fight against the Snake, it was something he already assumed to be true. She couldn't decide if that was hubris on the part of a young boy on his first mission or the confidence of someone strong.

Yūgao knew where she stood in terms of ability compared to the rest of her team: dead last. Some would believe it didn't mean much to be the dead last of the best, but, to her, it did. Compared to people like Mokuton no Tenzō and Sharingan no Kakashi, the name of Yūgao Uzuki didn't mean much. Her kenjutsu was the best of the team, but in the world of fast moving shinobi with landscape-changing powers, her kenjutsu felt more like a gimmick than an advantage.

Then, there was Naruto. A ten-year-old boy who had joined them on an S-ranked mission. While she didn't outright disagree with the Godaime's decision for Naruto to join them, she was more than a little apprehensive to have him on the team.

_"He's too young,"_ she thought. _"He's not ready,"_ she argued.

Naruto, the sweet, whiskered, cheeky boy she'd watched over for years. She had personally witnessed his growth, from that fleet-footed brat who wanted to play tag to a young man with some amazing abilities. She cared for him. He was someone for her to train, protect and guide.

Then… he faced Orochimaru. Kami. That disgusting gleam in the Sannin's eyes when they landed upon Naruto. That cruel smirk, devoid of any humanity - she could still see it and it still frightens her.

No. That was an understatement. It _terrifies_ her.

Her fight-or-flight response had kicked in. She was more than ready to grab Naruto, mission be damned, and haul ass back to the safety of Konoha. Naruto wouldn't have it, however. Stupid, overconfident idiot decided it would be smart to punch Orochimaru of the fucking Sannin! He might have come back, but that doesn't alleviate the worry she felt. Whatever Naruto had done had to hold off the Snake had earned Naruto his ire and his interest, a truly deadly combination.

"What do you mean you're not going to do anything about it?!"

Which is why she couldn't understand Izumi's blasé attitude towards the situation! Naruto has the interest of the Sannin's evil genius. Why wasn't her friend worried for their blond prankster?! Did she want Naruto to be put in an early grave?

Yūgao gawked at Izumi, who was seated in her usual place at the Uchiha family dinner table. Izumi's calm face appeared to be set in stone, a stark contrast to Yūgao's dynamic expressions.

"Exactly what it means, Yūgao: I am not going to do anything about it."

Yūgao's look of shock and confusion turned into one of anger and betrayal.

"This is Naruto we are talking about! H-"

"Yes. Exactly. This is Naruto we are talking about." Izumi still maintained that calm, almost aloof visage.

"What?! Don't you ca-"

"Don't even _think_ about finishing that sentence, Yūgao," Izumi hissed. Her eyebrows furrowed in anger as she glared at her friend for even suggesting such an idea. "I have been living with him since he was five. Do not mistake my inaction for apathy."

"Then why aren't you doing anything to help him prepare for the Snake? You're his sensei!"

"Precisely." Izumi's jet-black eyes bore into Yūgao's brown orbs. "I am his sensei. As it is now, I know more about Naruto than anyone else in this village, even Inu-taichо̄, who has watched over him since he was born. Even then, what I know about him is only what he has shown me." Yūgao's face furrowed in confusion. "Naruto is far stronger than he lets on, perhaps, even stronger than what you saw that night."

"Are you referring to _it_?" Izumi shook her head.

"No. Naruto has secrets. Secrets other than that."

Yūgao scoffed at the notion. The lovable, loudmouthed blond? Secrets? What a load of-

"Finish that thought and I will tell Naruto about your choice in reading material, you perverted eggplant."

"Naruto gave me those books as a prank!" Yūgao's cheeks flushed. "And don't try to change the subject!"

"Is that why your favorite bookmark is in one of them?" Yūgao glared at her friend, still blushing up a storm. How does she know?!

"At least I don't use my position as his sensei to sleep with him! If I'm a pervert, what does that make you? A shotacon?!"

"What? That is absolutely absurd." Izumi waved aside her accusations. "Naruto neither looks nor behaves like a shota."

"That's what you deny?!"

"Why would I not deny something that is not true?" Izumi cocked her head to the side.

"So you don't deny that you sleep with Naruto?" Yūgao crossed her arms beneath her bust, frowning at her friend.

"Of course not." Izumi mirrored the purplette's actions. "I have no need to hide such actions from anyone. My intentions are pure."

"Oh yea? So does Hokage-sama know his firstborn is sharing a bed with her student?" Yūgao's question was met with silence. "I didn't think so."

"My silence on the matter is to protect Naruto from my father's overzealous nature."

"Liar," Yūgao accused.

"Pervert," Izumi fired back.

"That's funny coming from you."

If one were to look closely at the arguing teens, they might be able to see the building of electric currents, sparking between baleful brown and ominous onyx. That was the scene Naruto walked into as he returned home from training with Satsuki, the two stepping through the sliding door of the kitchen.

"Tadai… ma… (I'm… home)?"

Naruto realized his mistake a little too late, noticing the tense atmosphere in the room and the robotic way their heads snapped over to his direction.

"I think I came in at a bad time-ttebayo. I'll be-"

"Sit!" Both girls ordered.

Gulping audibly, Naruto sat in his usual seat, right next to Izumi, his hands folded into his lap. Laugh at him all you want, but girls are goddamn scary.

Especially these two.

Satsuki, meanwhile, limped past the dining table, reveling in the way Naruto cowered beneath the ire of her sister and her purple-haired friend. That's what he gets for beating her in their spars all the damn time. He has to be cheating! She just knew it!

"Naruto," his sensei addressed him in that familiar no-nonsense tone, "tell this perverted eggplant that you don't need me to train you any harder to face _him_."

"Naruto," Yūgao countered, "tell this emotionless washboard that you do need more training because of _him_."

Feeling like a civilian caught between two angry bijū, Naruto made a sound at the back of his throat, a mix between a choking gasp and a hacking cough.

"Eh-hem."

His saving grace came in the form of one amused Mikoto Uchiha, standing in the doorway into the kitchen. Naruto was ready to leap out of his chair and grovel at the woman's feet for her impeccable timing.

"Am I interrupting something, girls?"

"Yes, ma'am," both girls replied.

"Oh." Her eyes lit up when she realized that Naruto was the subject of their dispute, noting his discomfort and relief when his eyes landed on her. "Well, whatever problem you may have can wait. Naruto and I will be making dinner. Will you be staying over to continue your… conversation?" Mikoto nearly giggled as Naruto shook his head and mimed for them to stop, eyes wide and afraid, when both girls turned to address her.

"Thank you for the invitation, Mikoto-sama, but I already have dinner reservations with some friends," Yūgao politely declined.

"Hmm. Do stop by once in a while, dear. It's nice to have Izumi's friends over every now and again." Mikoto gestured for Naruto to join her. "Come, Naruto. Dinner won't cook itself."

"Yes, ma'am!" He had never been so happy to cook dinner before in his life!

"One second please, mother. Naruto hasn't answered our question yet," Izumi firmly stated.

He nearly broke down right there as his sensei dragged him right back into their crosshairs. Yūgao had stood up beside him. And thus, the glaring resumed.

"I- this- wha-" Naruto floundered for a few moments, only to collect himself a few seconds later with a sigh. "Sorry sensei, but I do need more training." His heart ached at the slight look of hurt that crossed her eyes for the briefest second. "It's just… the training I need isn't something you could help me with."

Everyone's eyes widened ever so slightly at his declaration. Something not even Sharingan no Izumi could help him with?

"Well, you have your answer! Let's get dinner started then," Mikoto said, clapping her hands together.

"I will take my leave then." Yūgao stood up and bowed to the family matriarch. "Thank you for your hospitality, Mikoto-sama."

"I'll see Yū-chan to the door," Naruto offered.

The two left the Uchiha women in the kitchen, silently walking to the front door, one lost in concerned thought, the other still trying to figure out what his friend wanted. Why was she so adamant about him getting more training in?

"Naruto," Yūgao muttered, stopping in the genkan. "You need to be more careful from now on."

"What?" Naruto blinked in confusion. "Why?"

"Orochimaru!" she quietly hissed. "You earned his interest the other night and survived a fight with him! As a ten-year-old! Naruto, he'll be after you, if not to figure out how strong you are, then to at least kill you for surviving a fight against him."

"You worry too much, Yū-chan!" He tried to ease her worries. "I could have killed-"

"Don't!" she interrupted. "Don't even say something so stupid. Even Inu-taichо̄ and I would be hard pressed to fight him together! You're a ten-year-old boy, Naruto." She reached out, placing a hand on his cheek. "You're strong, but he is one of the Sannin."

"You have no faith in me," Naruto pouted, placing a hand on top of hers.

"You're a ten-year-old saying he could defeat Orochimaru of the Sannin," she deadpanned. "I'm allowed to doubt your claims." She moved in, hugging him and noting the difference in height between them, her cheek resting against his chest at full height. "I'm just worried about you."

Naruto gulped nervously as he felt Yūgao's ample chest press against his stomach. His hands shakily wrapped themselves around the teen's waist. Absentmindedly, he noted that she smelled of peaches and lilacs.

Once again, Naruto found himself at a loss for words at the concern shown by the purple haired teen. First, it was his sensei. Now, it was Yūgao. Hell, he hadn't even had so much concern shown to him when he'd returned from the Valley of the End after Sasuke ran off.

"Y-Yea?"

"Yea." She nodded against his chest, ignoring how good it felt to have his body heat wrapped around her like a blanket.

"Well, I can take care of anything that stupid snake sends my way so you don't have to worry so much-ttebayo!"

"Sure you can," Yūgao shook her head, obviously disbelieving of his claims. "Now go back to the kitchen before Mikoto-sama comes hunting for you." She giggled as Naruto shivered in fear.

"Oh, ha ha. Laugh it up, Yū-chan."

The two pulled away, smiling at each other. The two stayed like that for just a little longer until the silence became just a tad uncomfortable. Sharing a bed with a pretty girl like his sensei for the purpose of sleeping was one thing, but to have a beautiful young woman like Yūgao in his arms is another. Yūgao was practically in the same boat as Naruto. She's interacted with plenty of guys before, both comrades and a few friends, but she has never gotten this close to any of them.

"I'd better go," both muttered simultaneously, causing them both to chuckle at each other.

The two separated, their eyes looking at anything and anywhere other than their friend's face. They maintained the awkward standoff until Yūgao exited the Uchiha family home. As she departed, she turned back and graced him with a smile.

Needless to say, that night, his dreams were filled with glowing sunsets and royal purple hair.

x-x-x-x-x

"Hokage-sama is in a meeting right now."

"It's fine. He asked me to be here."

Naruto walked past the receptionist's desk, thankful for the change in staff. His hands held onto a pair of homemade bento boxes. This is just another one of those things he's been doing since he moved in with the Uchihas and Fugaku became Hokage. Today, however, Fugaku had requested something different from him.

_"Bring an additional bento box, Naruto. I have an important guest, someone I have to share a meal with."_

A guest? Who was he meeting with that could possibly be considered a guest? If they were just a client, Fugaku wouldn't have asked this of him.

_Knock. Knock knock._

"Come in, Naruto."

What - or rather, _who_ \- Naruto saw in the office made him freeze for the briefest of moments. Sitting directly across from Fugaku were two faces he'd seen before. One was incredibly recognizable while the other was familiar, but the man's name didn't jump out at him.

"Fugaku-sama," Naruto greeted. He placed the bento boxes on the Hokage's desk, which have been cleared of the piles and piles of paperwork Fugaku normally dealt with. Instead, there were only a few loose pages, which the trio have likely been looking over.

"Naruto," the man nodded in greeting. He gestured towards the two seated across from him. "This is the Yondaime Kazekage, Rasa no Sabaku."

Naruto took in the appearance of the man, the father of his future friend. The same father who was responsible for the suffering his friend went through to become the monster he'd witnessed during the Chūnin exams. The man's face appeared to be set in stone, a grave expression of neutrality, not even hinting at the barest of emotions. His spiky red hair, something his friend inherited, stood haphazardly.

Not that he was one to judge for spiky hair.

"And this is his daughter, Temari no Sabaku."

Now that name, he was familiar with. Naruto's eyes looked over to the smaller girl. Her blonde hair was splayed out in four distinct ponytails, her signature look. A dark plum dress, holding three buttons at the breast. A relatively large fan rested upon her lap, though it was nowhere near the size of the battlefan she will be lugging around in a few years. She was attempting to mimic her father's blank, almost enigmatic countenance, but he could still see the emotions that shone through her eyes.

"Kazekage-sama. Temari-san." Naruto bowed at the waist. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki."

Rasa responded with the barest tilting of his head. Temari responded with a brief nod of recognition.

"Kazekage-dono and I wish to continue our discussions on more serious matters, things Temari-san is not ready to hear," Fugaku explained. "In the meantime, I would like you to show her around the village, Naruto."

"Sure! You can count on me." He leveled a dazzling smile at the sandy blonde.

Rasa pulsed a minute fraction of his chakra, summoning a Sunagakure ANBU to his side. Unlike the ANBU of Konoha, Suna's ANBU wore no animal-themed masks. Their faces are covered by a thin cloth, likely to keep out the sand and grit of the desert civilization. A cloth cap covered the man's head while a sand-brown flak vest, complete with extended pauldrons, covered the man's torso.

"Accompany them, but stay out of sight."

The ANBU flickered away, disappearing from their visible line of sight, though Naruto could still feel the man's presence within the world's natural energy. Temari stood up, bowing to the Hokage.

"By your leave, Hokage-sama."

"I hope you enjoy your stay here in Konoha, Temari-san," Fugaku nodded his head and gestured towards the door. "Keep her safe, Naruto."

"You know I will!" Naruto flashed the Hokage a cheesy thumbs up before following the older girl out of the office.

For the first few minutes neither of them said anything, only walking the streets of Konoha in silence. After leaving the Hokage Tower, Temari had noticed a strange inconsistency amongst the population of Konoha. Countless civilians, and even a few of the lower-ranked shinobi, eyed her guide with such fear and disdain that she couldn't help but be taken aback by it. As for the boy in question, if he'd noticed their animosity, he didn't seem to be bothered.

"Ney, Temari-san," her guide spoke to her for the first time since leaving the office, "do you want to see anything around Konoha?"

"No," the blonde shook her head, her ponytails jostling ever so slightly.

"Alright then! Let's get some ice cream first!"

Temari couldn't help but shake her head at her guide's enthusiasm. With the silence that accompanied their trek towards where her guide deemed would be appropriate for getting ice cream, the young pre-teen took in the appearance of her guide as he walked in front of her.

His bright blond hair stood out like a beacon amongst the throngs of people around them. Spiky and unkempt, it swept in front of his forehead, something which irked him given how often he is brushing it out of the way. A blue high-collared shirt, bearing the Uchiha clan's insignia on its back, lay above a pair of black pants. A series of white bandages tied around the shins and ankles gave his lower half a more streamlined appearance. Blue shinobi sandals made no sound as he walked ahead of her.

That made her somewhat apprehensive about any ulterior motives the Hokage may have about having this boy as her guide. Whoever he is - if Naruto Uzumaki is even his real name - he is well-trained. Perhaps that is why he seems so carefree, even knowing that a Suna ANBU is trailing them.

She mentally scoffed. A child, someone who appears to be around her age, if a little bit younger, well-trained or not, is no match for an ANBU.

"Temari-san, what flavor are you thinking about getting? I was hoping to get some orange sorbet."

"Rocky road," she answered after some thought.

Ice cream is a rarity within Kaze no Kuni. The arid heat made milk and cream rare commodities, ones that easily spoiled, had to be transported with haste and special precautions. Thus, on the rare occasion that she and Kankuro had ventured into Hi no Kuni, they had indulged with their allowance.

"Nice!" The boy gave her that same silly thumbs up he'd given the Hokage earlier that day.

It seemed so out of place compared to everything else she had observed of him.

"Are you a shinobi-in-training, Naruto-san?"

"No." He slumped forwards as a cloud of depression hung over him. "I have to wait until I'm twelve to start the Academy."

A look of surprise flashed across Temari's face. So he was neither apprenticed to someone, nor has he started his studies as a shinobi. If he was apprenticed to someone, then he wouldn't have to trudge through the four years required of those who wish to become shinobi.

"Ah! Here we are. Yo, Suzume-san!"

Temari stepped into the small ice cream parlor with unconcealed interest. The Frozen Gift, it was called. A quaint little shop with several large tables surrounding an ice cream bar. From the few customers she saw, mostly females, many of them appeared to be off-duty kunoichi. Their eyes flickered to her blond guide for a split second before going back about their business, dining on their frozen desserts or enjoying their dates.

"Naruto-kun." A woman she assumed to be the shop's owner greeted the blond boy with a smile. "And who is this young lady beside you?"

"This is Temari. She's visiting Konoha from out of town and I thought I'd show her around."

x-x-x-x-x

"Ney, Yū-chan, princess. Isn't that your little blondie?"

The two aforementioned girls raised an eyebrow at Anko's sudden question. They looked up from their table and, sure enough, Naruto was standing inside the girls' favorite ice cream parlor with a young blonde girl beside him.

"Who is she?" both girls asked simultaneously.

Kurenai continued to nibble on her strawberry sorbet as they watched the blond boy pay for their treats. Two scoops of rocky road, which he handed to the blonde girl, two scoops of strawberry ripple ice cream, which was handed to a clone who disappeared, and a scoop of orange ice cream for himself.

His obsession with the color sure is strange.

"Why did he give the clone a cone?" Hana asked.

"It wasn't for the clone, it was for my mother," Izumi responded. "Strawberry ripple is her favorite."

"Is he… on a date?" Yūgao muttered, half to herself and half to the rest of the group.

Just as the question left her lips, Naruto and his "date" were on the move. They had disappeared from the shop's entrance by the time the girls had reached the ice cream bar.

"Suzume-san! Do you know where Naruto and that girl are going?" Yūgao was the first to speak up.

"Oh. Temari-san? Naruto said he will be showing her around the village so I don't think they have any destination in mind."

Temari. At least they had a name to go with the blonde girl's face.

"Well, they did just leave so if you want to follow them..." Hana suggested. Yūgao and Izumi exchanged a look before nodding, chasing after their blond and his mystery companion.

"At least it never gets boring with the gaki around," Anko said as she paid for the group's desserts.

"Naruto-kun does have a way of making the day more exciting."

Kurenai followed behind her purple-haired friend with a shake of her head. Taking to the rooftops, the four girls trailed behind the two blonds as they roamed the streets of Konoha.

"I've never seen her around the village before," Izumi stated, her eyes tracking the duo with clear interest.

"Neither have we," the others voiced in agreement.

"That's because she's from out of town." The four glanced over as another Naruto walked alongside them. "She's from Suna."

"The Hidden Sand?" Izumi frowned. "Then what is she doing in Konoha?"

"Well, her pops and Fugaku-sama are hashing out some diplomatic details and whatnot, stuff they didn't want Temari to hear, so they had me escort her around the village."

Her "pops," as Naruto had put it, must be the Kazekage then.

"That does explain the sand ANBU shadowing you two," Anko pondered. "So how is your date going?"

"Pretty-" Naruto paused and the girls could practically see the gears turning in his head as he thought about what Anko had just said. "Pretty good, actually."

"That's nice." Anko nodded, as if in thought. "Wait." Her eyes snapped open. "You're actually on a date?!"

Yūgao and Izumi glanced back down at the apparent couple. Temari appeared to be giggling as Naruto grinned widely, likely telling her some of the antics he'd committed when he was younger. Izumi frowned. Yūgao outright scowled.

"No, you dango-praising dummy!" Faster than the blink of an eye, Naruto and Anko were butting heads.

"What did you say about me, you slop-eating pig?!"

"You heard me, sweet-tooth! You're gonna get fat with all the dango you eat!"

"Why, you little-"

By now, the little squabble had devolved into a tussle. Anko had Naruto in a chokehold, digging her knuckles into his head, while the clone was gnawing at the girl's forearm. The others, however, were still focused on the two down below.

"At least Naruto knows how to treat a lady," Kurenai posited. Hana nodded along with the black haired beauty.

The "date" as Anko had put it, took a turn for the worse as a few teens took Naruto's presence with a pretty girl as an affront to their masculinity.

"Hey, demon! What are you doing with the pretty girl?"

The girls, even Anko, turned their focus to the scene down below. None of them missed the way the blonde girl - Temari, they reminded themselves - flinched, her eyes darting from the blond boy to the delinquents who had called them out.

"Temari-san, are you alright?" Naruto asked, concerned by the way her body had tensed.

"Y-Yes. I'm fine."

"How could she be fine when she's hanging out with a monster like you?" one of the delinquents jeered.

Their words had gathered quite a crowd of civilians. The shinobi among them hung along the walls and rooftops, watching the exchange with bated breath.

"Ha." Naruto leveled an unamused glare at the teens. "If I'm a monster, does that make you foolish or brave for pissing me off?" The question caught everyone off guard. "If Orochimaru was in the village, you would run for your lives. Yet here I am, being pestered by you."

"Che. Who do you think you are?" the group's leader hissed.

Everyone waited for Naruto to respond. Even the Ice Queens of Konoha were ready to intervene should this get out of hand.

"Someone who could beat all of you in a fight without lifting a finger and with my eyes closed," Naruto declared.

"OH YEA?!" The teens were more than a little pissed at the declaration. "Just because the Hokage took your pathetic ass in doesn't mean you're hot shit."

"You're right. It doesn't. I'd have to pick on kids four years younger than I am to be," Naruto taunted.

"GET HIM!"

The six teens charged at Naruto, their fists raised in the basic Academy katas. Academy students, Naruto thought. He calmly pulled Temari aside before standing in place and meeting the charge head on, his eyes closed and his hands in his pockets.

"Naruto-san!" Temari reached out to the younger boy. Though she was more than prepared to fight a few Academy students, she didn't know how the Kazekage and Hokage would handle the situation given her status as a foreigner.

"It's fine, Temari."

Naruto calmly sidestepped the opening punch. The leader who'd tried to punch him was punted to the side with a kick. He won't be getting up on his own. In his place, another teen followed up with a low kick. To the surprise of everyone present, Naruto stood in place, not moving to dodge the attack. Instead of dodging, Naruto kicked the offending appendage with a solid _thump_.

The teen's shout of pain made the civilians cringe while many of the shinobi traded money amongst themselves, having bet on the outcome of the fight. The better ones among them have already seen all they needed.

The teens growled angrily as their friend hobbled back and away from the fight. The ones who haven't been injured lunged back towards their blond target. Naruto leaned backwards, parallel to the ground as a pair of the boys tried to clothesline him. The one who followed up and tried to kick out his legs were met with failure as Naruto backflipped, forcing his body weight on the pair who had passed him. He drove them head-first into the earth. Kicking off of their backs, Naruto slammed his knee directly into the boy in front of him

The civilians in the crowd cringed as the boy's nose shattered beneath Naruto's knee cap. Blood flowed from broken cartilage and burst capillaries. Not a single drop landed on Naruto. As soon as he landed, Naruto gave a spinning high kick, dropping the teen who tried to sneak up on him from behind.

He turned his attention towards the last boy, the one he'd kicked in the shin for that unimpressively slow low kick. He slumped onto his knees with a terrified gulp. Even with Naruto's eyes closed, the teenage delinquent could still feel the blond's gaze boring into him, measuring his worth.

And he was found wanting.

"Che," her blond guide scoffed. "There are people out there who are younger than I am who can slaughter our chūnin like they were civilians, but you think you're hot shit just because you're in the Academy?"

Temari couldn't help but recall the bloodthirsty grin on her brother's face. The look of torment, followed by the manic visage of a possessed demon. Her hands shook as she recalled the last time she'd faced his ire. An accident really. She bumped into him when they'd rounded a corner. His sand lashed out in defense, believing her to be another one of those assassins sent to kill him.

Thankfully, the Kazekage was there to stop him.

"-ari-chan! Temari-chan!" The blonde jolted as a pair of calloused hands wrapped around hers. "Are you okay?"

She gazed up into concerned blue eyes, another rarity amongst the people of Konoha.

"You're shaking," he whispered.

She was. She knew that. And there was nothing she could do about it.

"Come on," he quietly muttered. "Let's get away from the crowd."

She didn't fight him as he dragged her away from the bustling streets of Konoha, headed deeper into the forests situated within the walls of the village. Her legs moved to keep her in motion, but her thoughts were elsewhere, locked in those frightful memories.

"Temari-chan." Those same hands which had held hers now seized upon her shoulders. "It's okay now."

"N-No. No it's not." She hated how weak she sounded at that moment. "Y-You wouldn't understand." She tore her gaze away from his eyes, keeping herself together by the barest of margins.

The two stood there in silence. Neither were concerned by how awkward it felt. Temari was focused solely on keeping herself together while Naruto was too worried about the blonde tween to care.

"Can I… can I show you a secret?" Naruto whispered.

She didn't know how to respond. A secret? Why would he want to show her, a stranger, one of his secrets?

"Y-You don't show strangers your secrets, Naruto-san." The slight quiver in her voice eased, but never went away, as she spoke.

"But we're not strangers, are we?" Naruto blinked, almost confused. "We're friends!"

"You can't be friends with someone in a few hours, Naruto."

"Yes, you can!"

"No, you cannot."

"Yes, you can!"

She glared back up at him. Why is he being so stubborn about this? You don't make friends in just a few scant hours. Why is he grinning like that? Did she not just reject his friendship? Her chest ached at the thought. Friendships, for her and Kankuro, were sparse to say the least. Being siblings of the-

"You stopped shaking."

Temari glanced down at her hands. The trembling that had wracked her frame had, indeed, stopped. Naruto's hands gently cupped hers, bringing her eyes back up to that foxy grin.

"I'm still willing to share that secret if you want to see it."

She couldn't find it in herself to deny him. That happy smile, practically radiant, was begging her to accept.

And accept, she did.

x-x-x-x-x

Izumi frowned angrily - as angrily as her mask of stoicism would allow - as she laid in bed. For the first time in several weeks, she lay in her own bed rather than her student's. She couldn't talk with him right now, not after what she saw earlier that afternoon.

A girl. A tween, someone he barely knew, had gotten him to share a secret, a pretty big one at that, with her. Yet, Izumi had been left out of the loop. As someone who had taught him, trained with him, and shared his bed, he had shown nothing to her. The only thing that kept her from snapping at him now is the promise he'd made to her, of sharing his secrets with them.

With her.

_Knock knock._

"Come in." Izumi sat up in her bed, her face devoid of emotions as Mikoto walked in and closed the door behind her. "Mother."

"Sweetie."

Izumi waited for her mother to speak first, though her frustrations must have been palpable to the older woman as she sat on her daughter's bed. She couldn't look at her mother, only staring down at her hands. Her mind was still occupied with what she'd witnessed earlier that day.

Was she not welcoming enough? Was she too closed off? Was she not approachable? Is that why he'd shared one of his secrets with a girl he'd just met instead of the family that had taken him in?

"Sweetie." Izumi looked up as Mikoto placed her hand atop her daughter's. "What happened today?"

Izumi's emotions manifested, showing through the mask of stoicism. Her mother squeezed her hand, a supportive gesture that she was all too grateful for.

"I saw one of Naruto's secrets today." Mikoto's eyes widened. "But I wasn't the one he intended to show it to. He was… showing off to a girl, the daughter of the Kazekage."

Mikoto hid her smile behind her hand, hoping that it came off as a look of surprise rather than the amusement she truly felt. Was her stoic little girl… jealous?

"I saw him split a waterfall in two."

"A waterfall?" Mikoto's amusement turned into awe. "With his chakra?" Izumi nodded.

"I don't understand." Izumi muttered, her frown deepening. "I've been training with him for five years. I know so much about him and yet, he's still keeping secrets from me. Then this girl, this stranger, comes along and he just shares something so monumental with her?"

Yup. Her eldest is definitely jealous.

"He promised me that he would share his secrets with me. I had assumed he would be doing it personally. Just the two of us in a private moment. Instead, the first secret I learned about him only happened because I was watching him show off to the princess of Suna."

"Have you spoken with him?" Mikoto whispered quietly.

"What would I even say, mother?" Izumi shook her head. "I'm just his sensei. This… this shouldn't bother me so much, but it does. I don't understand." She pulled legs up to her chest, tucking her head on top of her knees.

Mikoto moved herself to rest against the bed's headboard, wrapping her arm around her daughter with a patient smile. For someone who is a genius, her daughter had grown up so quickly that she'd missed many of the social and emotional cues one would experience living a normal life.

_"Better late than never,"_ Mikoto mused. "I do." She stroked her daughter's hair. "You're jealous."

"Don't be absurd, mother," Izumi huffed. "What would I even be jealous of?"

"The Kazekage's daughter discovering Naruto's secrets before you do," the mother teased. "It is natural to feel this way, especially over someone you're close to Izumi. How would you feel about it if Naruto-kun shared all of his secrets with this girl?"

"Upset," the teen stated matter-of-factly. "It would be as if I hadn't trained him at all. To share his secrets with a stranger, especially a Kage's daughter, is tantamount to suicide."

"Is that the only thing you would feel?"

Izumi's frown deepened as she looked away from her mother. The thought wasn't a pleasant one. The idea of Naruto getting closer with Temari and sharing his secrets with her left an ache in her chest that she didn't quite understand. Was she just concerned?

No. She knew what concern felt like. This emotion was much darker than that.

"Is this why you're not sleeping in his room tonight?" Izumi nodded, her head still tucked above her knees. "Speak with him. It does not have to be tonight, or even tomorrow night, but you will have to speak with him. If you don't, you just might lose him."

That last part wasn't necessarily true, but she was trying to get her daughter to open up to the blond, so she was allowed to exaggerate. Naruto and her daughter are comfortable with each other, something she found very cute, but therein lay the problem: they are _too_ comfortable. Their relationship had stagnated, falling into a familiar rhythm of training together, eating together and sleeping together.

From the way Izumi's eyes had widened and how her arms tightened around her legs, Mikoto knew she'd hit a little close to home. After what happened with Tenma Izumo, Izumi had come to value the relationships she has with such reverence that losing someone through distance and a failure to communicate was tantamount to murder.

"Sometimes, it is easier to share your deepest, darkest secrets with a stranger than it is to confess to someone you know and love. Perhaps that is why Naruto had shared his secret with the sand princess." Mikoto placed a kiss against her daughter's head. "The next time you're laying in bed with Naruto-kun, speak with him. That's the one time during your day when he won't be able to run from you."

"Run… from me?" With her wide eyes and fearful whisper, Izumi pulled at Mikoto's heartstrings.

"Naruto is in a vulnerable place right now, Izumi." The mother in her won over the kunoichi. Her kids were allowed to have their secrets as long as they came home to her. "He's afraid that if he shared his secrets with you, with us, that we would see him differently, perhaps even alienate him. The only advice I could give you is to be patient with him." Mikoto continued to stroke her daughter's hair as the teen digested her words.

"Thank you, mother," Izumi whispered, hugging the older woman.

"You're welcome, sweetie," Mikoto giggled. "Don't take too long trying to talk to him though. You never know when another girl might come along and coax another secret out of him."


End file.
